Sumant jayakrishnan biography of martin
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Sumant builds in various elements such as audio-visual, video, calligraphy, lighting, performance and other dynamic inputs within the mode of theatrical performance, whether for Theatre, Dance, Film, Fashion or the world of Events.
Sumant is deeply concerned with cultural issues related to the contradictions of Local Identity and Global Universality.
That said, the creative industry and the government need to come forth for support.
What are you currently working on and what is next?
I am currently working on events. He was initially trained in visual communication at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. That becomes the starting point, not just for moodboards and drawings, but for the emotional architecture of a space.
Sumant’s worlds may feel ephemeral, even dreamlike, but the planning is anything but.
There are a couple of projects with Seher that we’re doing with Bonjour India. We have the Asean Music Festival in October in Delhi at Purana Qila and I’m working with Mrs Swati Piramal for an idea for Chelsea Flowers Show in London. His first opportunity to broaden his horizons was through travelling and working in the UK, and in Europe.
Here, however, it is not defined. From the theatrical flair of India Couture Week to the many sets and studios in Delhi where fabric, light, and imagination collide, Sumant continues to shape how India sees spectacle.
Known for his maximalist, immersive style, his creative footprint began in 1993 with The Normal Heart, directed by Barry John at Delhi’s Kamani Auditorium.
That flexibility and fluidity with what you can do with limited resources has to be seen as an advantage which is why I am very happy being here, you never know what the surprises are! I finished with a very special project in Germany where I actually did an installation and I think it was called The Windmill Project. Coming back, I collaborated with Pooja Sood on Khadi—from Empire to Emporium [1997] and that led to some other things… like Govind Nihlani came and said would you like to design a film set for me, so I designed the set for my first commercial film called Thakshak, with Ajay Devgn and Tabu.
So we’re working with bamboo and local craft. It draws energy to the third eye, and maybe helps others see me more clearly too,” he adds.
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This bond with different people stretches you…you are literally absorbing and understanding and trying to become them.His designs must be precise enough for carpenters, production teams, and fabricators to bring them to life, without losing the poetry.
His materials of choice are often delicate: thread, ribbon, mirrors, paper, lace.
Which is why it’s complicated for people to fathom, because how do you actually make them understand that it’s more than just a set design or more than just performance or costume… it’s about how something is put together.
Photography by Sharad Shrivastav
Scenographer par excellence and a portrait of composer, Sumant Jayakrishnan traces the journey of his practice of creating magical worlds for performance theatre.
Can you take me through your journey in design over the years?
I started with design school in Ahmedabad in NID, and over there after the foundation year I did fine arts.
Last summer with Rajshree Pathy I designed the ‘Chakraview’ at the India Pavillion at London Design Biennale.
What inspires your design aesthetic?
People and spaces inspire me. “It was enthralling,” he recalls. I took interest in visual communications and graphics animation and in my fourth year I took up exhibition design.
“Sometimes the story is obvious.