Cyclerecyclecycle by Gunjan Gupta

Furniture Designer, director of Studio Wrap Lives and works in New Delhi, India
In 2006 Gunjan Gupta graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art &
Design with a MA in Furniture Design. Back in New Delhi she set up Studio Wrap, a furniture design company that engages with social and material sustainability.

India has been a historical producer of luxury goods, and the associated craft skills that were once widely patronized across the world are now in a serious state of decay, threatened by the country’s rapid modernization. Gunjan Gupta has an interest for the rich cultural heritage of her country, mainly the traditional crafts, and the notion of luxury, and combines these in her furniture designs. For their execution she collaborates with local craftsmen and traditional artisans and in doing so is revitalising the traditional crafts.

Wrap, the name of the Studio, refers to an ancient throne decoration technique from India whereby pure silver sheets are wrapped around courtly furniture. This technique has formed the basis of Gunjan Gupta’s ‘contemporary’ thrones based on the elementary Indian stool.

‘Cyclerecyclecycle’ offers the Amsterdam public the opportunity to create their own contemporary ‘throne’ based on a an old bicycle. Common means of transport in the urban landscape of both countries, old and broken bikes are thrown away in the Netherlands, whereas the Indians, known for their innovative approach to recycling, make carts or street furniture out of them. Gupta proposes a bicycle recycle model for the creation of conceptual street furniture.
The project draws from Indian street culture and proposes a visionary approach towards engaging local communities in the recycling of objects while adding an element of playfulness to the process.