SINGING IN BRASS

FROM ORNATE IMAGES OF INDIAN MYTHOLOGY TO CHINOISERIE TO ABSTRACT ORGANIC FORMS, THE ENIGMATIC CRAFT OF BRASS REPOUSSÉ COMES TO LIFE AT VIKRAM GOYAL'S ATELIER IN NOIDA.

- GAYATRI RANGACHARI SHAH

Drawing in Metal is the lyrical title of a 10-minute documentary short film capturing the high art that is Vikram Goyal's mesmerizing metal design practice. The title perfectly captures the brilliance of the celebrated product designer's oeuvre, one honed over a two-decade journey of innovation in the decorative arts. Goyal's ability to mine India's heritage while simultaneously forging a contemporary visual language has won him accolades both at home and overseas. Last year, he was the first Indian designer to show at Nilufar, Nina Yashar's famous design gallery in Milan; recently, he signed on to be represented by the acclaimed Los Angeles-based gallery Future Perfect. Importantly, in a country obsessed with gold, Goyal has elevated a traditional material like brass to a newfound covetable status through his extraordinary artistic interventions.

Drawing in Metal, which is directed by Aradhana Seth, contextualizes the technique of repoussage, a painstaking, laborious craft of metalworking involving the creation of low relief panels by hammering thin brass sheets from the reverse side. Originating in the third or fourth century BC in the Middle East, it was likely brought to India by the Persians. In an essay on the designer, gallerist Peter Nagy explains that repoussage "exploits the plasticity of metal, enabling great detail to be rendered", with Goyal unleashing "a Pandora's box of cultural references for his designs, mining Indian, Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese and European sources. The results are sheets of metal resembling fabrics and carved wood...bringing a thrilling veneer of imagery."