The Design Museum
The Offbeat Sari
- Art Direction
- Campaign
- CGI / Animation
- Environment
- Exhibition Design
The Offbeat Sari examines the enduring appeal of the popular dress worn in India and South Asia. Curated by the Design Museum’s Head of Curatorial, Priya Khanchandan, the exhibition looks at how the sari is currently undergoing the most rapid reinvention in its 5,000-year history.
HS created the identity and campaign for this exciting new show.
Traditionally the sari is an unstitched drape wrapped around the body, which can be folded and worn in multiple ways. It is this fluid, magical characteristic which has enabled it to morph over time and absorb a diverse range of cultural influences. The campaign imagery presents the notion of a malleable canvas that can shift in shape and appearance – an ever-evolving form.
Created entirely in CG, the HS team composed a series of pieces which are part fabric and part brush stroke in their appearance – with a digital first focus, we wanted the imagery to embody human qualities of physical movement or dance, whilst avoiding the need to literally place a person or figure in the mix.
The finish of the fabric itself is metallicised, partly to create a dynamic interplay with light in animation – but more importantly it references the craft and innovative materials being used by contemporary sari designers. Our colour spectrum is a celebration of diversity, but the palette itself is derived from colours used in the traditional Indian dyeing process. Natural dyes such as indigo, turmeric or anar (pomegranate) provided a reference point that felt vibrant and alive.
Created entirely in CG, the HS team composed a series of pieces which are part fabric and part brush stroke in their appearance – with a digital first focus, we wanted the imagery to embody human qualities of physical movement or dance, whilst avoiding the need to literally place a person or figure in the mix.
