After two successful Postcard Projects, we've tied up with Dhaba by Claridges for a third edition. Given that both LBB and Dhaba by Claridges celebrate all things desi, kitsch and cool, we decided to creatively explore the roads most travelled for Postcard Project III.
It's safe to assume every Dilliwaala has had a highway experience; one that doesn’t involve the toll on NH8, or the Imtiaz Ali film. From roadside dhabas, and bathroom pit-stops, to staple Nainital and Mussoorie summer holiday associations, the idea of a highway has come to mean so much more than any metaphoric usage. Giving four gifted designers the open road for their imagination, each artist weighs in with their way, and 'Life on the Highway.'
Anant Ahuja’s Life on the Highway |
The mustache has become a rather eminent part of pop culture – with it being featured on every kind of merchandise, and even prominent in high street fashion. Interestingly, waiting for facial hair, and ultimately being able to grow a mustache is a significant phase in every boy’s life {remember Chandler sporting Richard's mustache}. As a young boy, the longer or twirlier the mustache, the more fascinated I’d be. And what better place to spot a range of mustaches, especially the ‘kundi mooch,’ than on the many truck drivers that lace the dhabas on our highways. After all, mooch nahi to kuch nahi.
About the artist: A born and bred Delhiite, he abandoned the idea of an undergraduate degree in marketing and economics, and took the road less travelled, one that landed him in a graphic design school in New Zealand. A typography specialist, he describes his work as flat, uses monotones, graphics, basic shapes and clean aesthetics, and used this opportunity to go back to his roots! Find him on Facebook here.
Anandita Bishnoi’s Life on the Highway |
This postcard signifies taking a break from the computer, and getting down and dirty with a brush and some paint. I’ve always been fascinated with the detail and color on Indian trucks, the kitsch designs, the iconic quotes and the hilarious Buri Nazar caricatures. Truck drivers consider their trucks their home, workplace, tool, vehicle and wife, and it's always interesting to see the story each truck tells, from religious connotations, logical adornments and cosmetic additions.
About the artist: A freelance graphic designer by profession, she spontaneously switched academic paths, from LSR to College of Art, Delhi, when a friend dragged her to take the entrance exam. With a road trip around India on her bucket list, collaborating on ‘Life on the Highway’ was all too perfect.
The Filmy Owl’s Angel Bedi’s Life on the Highway |
In a parallel universe, I drive stunning trucks for a living. I wander and rove between tiny corners of India, and make many pit stops at quaint dhabas. This is my invitation to come get lost!
About the artist: Angel Bedi’s a bonafide Delhi girl {not what you’re thinking, the other kind}, whose alter ego manifests itself at ‘The Filmy Owl’. Check out her illustrations, musings on life, love, working out and everything in between here.
Pranav Bhardwaj’s Life on the Highway |
The line from Bon Jovi's 'It's my life' inspired this design. Hearts + Arrows are the physical manifestation of the feeling of leaving everything behind when you decide to get on the highway that leads towards the real you. Life is yet to be found; it's an open highway and you are free to do what you want to do.
About the artist: With no formal Art/Design training, Pranav started Graphic Songs as a personal project in August 2012 as a "cure to boredom while daily commuting in the metro." The Delhiwaala worked in a BPO, an auditing firm, before taking on work as an Art Director at Wieden+Kennedy. Find illustrations of all the old and new chart toppers on his Facebook page here.
These postcards will be available at the Saket+ Cyber Hub branches of Dhaba by Claridges, and at LBB events starting 15th of May.
