“Zero Kilometre Design”
Lakshman Sagar
resort is perched at the banks of the picturesque Lakshman
Sagar lake, near the quintessential
Rajasthani village of Raipur. Although Raipur is primarily an
agricultural community, due to the existence of the traditional
“Jajmani” system, the village is quiet
self-sufficient
and has a number of skilled artisans who make a living by crafting everyday objects,
farming tools and household utensils. The objective was to identify and source various skills,
crafts and materials around Raipur region which then could be improvised and reinterpreted to suite the
core concept of the project. Thus, making Raipur the epicentre, a thorough research was conducted in
neighbouring cities and towns. This network stretched from Jodhpur to
Jaitaran, Pali to Pushkar, Biawer to Ajmer.
The success of this project largely depended on
the synchronization of various actors, who would otherwise be working in
isolation depending on their individual interests. Regarding the choice
of materials, an effort was made to use materials as local as possible
and as sustainable as possible. Local materials already are best suited
to the conditions of the region. Similarly the true essence of any craft
is the story behind it, which has been used as inspirations by the
designers, to design products that would narrate the similar stories but
for a contemporary audience. Hence the entire series of furniture and
products developed for Lakshman Sagar resort imbibes the true sense of design, tradition,
ecology, ethics and a contemporary culture.
