AYA – “The learnings of nature” Workshop

DD Architects conducted their annual design workshop from the 28th of May till 1st of June 2021. This year’s workshop was titled “Aya- The learnings of nature” and was conducted online. The principle idea behind this workshop was to teach attendees to grasp and observe everyday things in their surroundings and try to comprehend with respect to the principles of architecture and design.

DD Architects have been conducting these ‘Aya’ workshops since 2017 and a number of design nuances like earth landscape, agriculture, flora fauna, craft, textiles and art forms are usually touched upon in these sessions. The workshop primarily focused on enlightening design students and young architects on the various key areas of design in an open manner. It featured some of the greatest industry patrons like Mr. Padmabhushan Rajeev Sethi (acclaimed designer and art curator), Mr. Dominic Sansoni (photographer and associate of Geoffrey Bawa), Mr. KB Jinan (Eminent thinker and designer) amongst others.

Two faculty members from IIAD’s fashion design department, Saumya Pande (Course Leader) and Pragya Sharma (Assistant Professor) were invited to host workshops. They spoke about nature and how much society can benefit from it without harming the environment. Each of their sessions averaged around 30 minutes and acted as short doses of inspiration to all viewers. In her session, Ms. Sharma spoke about the various natural raw materials available and the breakdown process used for extracting colors from plant materials. In contrast, Ms. Pande's session focused on making connections with nature and observing humanity in accordance with the environment.

AYA has created many memorable and learning experiences through these workshops. The webinar was methodic, practical, and very well presented. The workshop also held inspirational and intensive sessions, which received a lot of applause from its viewers. It was a very productive and delightful day indeed.