Recent graduate, Sachi Chandiramani’s senior thesis, “The Indian Arts + Design Collective,” is a project that began as a way to combat ideas of extreme nationalism that are currently happening in India.
The idea behind the Collective is to spread awareness and to stand as a reminder of the diversity that shapes the nation. The Indian Arts + Design Collective’s archive serves as the canvas for this. The archive consists of artworks in different mediums including architecture, photography, clothing, paintings, graphics, and so on. Each year a visiting artist will use the archive to curate their own collection. This will give the audience new perspectives on stories based on India, reminding them to embrace the diversity of the nation.
Cover for the Indian Arts + Design Collective’s publication
Elements of the Collective’s identity
The first spread of the publication
What were your favorite classes at Parsons?
I have a lot of favorite classes! But these are just a few that really impacted me as a designer:
1. Thesis (with Pascal Glissmann) It was a long journey but I loved every minute of it, after all, how many times do you have free range to design a project on a topic that you are passionate about? I think I grew as a designer, and I learned to follow what I think is right, and I couldn’t have done that without the help of my professor and my classmates.
2. Creative Computing (with Tiff Hockin) and Computational Forms (with Justin Bakse) were great classes because the professors and the classes themselves gave me the confidence to try new things and to push myself into fearlessly being curious about different topics.
3. Editorial Concepts (with Natasha Chandani) was an amazing class too because I learned how to think logically and how to design systematically. This is also where I learned all of the basics of design as well. This class laid the groundwork for everything that I designed after.
What did you wish you knew as a student that you know now?
I wish I knew (and reminded myself) that everything will be okay in the end, there’s no reason to panic. Sometimes I spent more time panicking then I did actually designing. I’ve realized that this doesn’t get you anywhere, and you honestly just don’t have the time to panic in a work environment!
Who do you look up to in the design community?
I look up to all of the wonderful teachers I had at Parsons. They are graphic designers, teachers, and still, have time to pursue their side-hustle. It’s tough, and I appreciate how hard they all work.
