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Priya kansara bridgerton

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State of Indigo – presented by the India Pavilion at London Design Biennale 2018 – will immerse viewers in the labour-intensive setting of the production of indigo, a pigment used to dye textiles, repel insects, cure ailments, disinfect, ward off spirits and even to decorate an entire city. The installation features an archival film displayed across the walls of a Somerset House gallery, which transports viewers to the troughs used in indigo production. Filmed around two decades ago at one of the last farms in India to produce the natural dye, State of Indigo gives an insight into the demanding production methods that have gone largely unchanged for millennia. State of Indigo brings these invisible histories to light and reveals indigo to be a highly ideologically loaded design tool, which needs to be asserted as being representative of India’s design identity. We had a chance to interview the curator of the installation, Priya Khanchandani, who let us in on her design journey, the creative process behind the installation and her future projects.

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Photo by Suzanne Zhang

  • Tell us about yourself?

    I’m a curator, writer and polymath at heart. I started my career as a lawyer in London and Milan before leaving to do an MA at the Royal College of Art and have spent the last twelve years working across arts institutions and journalism. I’ve published widely on international design, travelled to places like Jerusalem, Sharjah and Seoul, and curated many exhibitions about subjects ranging from architecture to fashion. I’m fortunate to be part of a thriving design community in London where shared interests have led to deep bonds, learning and collaboration.

  • Describe Priya Khanchandani in 3 words?

    Curious, affectionate, cerebral

  • About your work

    I work at the Design Museum in London as Head of Curatorial, managing the curatorial department and curating exhibitions like The Offbeat Sari, Amy: Beyond the Stay, Yinka Ilori Parables for Happiness and Bethany Williams: Alternative Systems. As a design expert, my work has other strands, too. I’ve contributed to publications like The Guardian, the Sunday Times and Frie

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