Re-Imagining Ceramics

Freelance animator and design consultant, Shashank Nimkar hopes not only to give new life to ceramic waste, but to encourage others to do so as well

- Shashank Nimkar

What took you from animation to ceramic and glass design?

SN: I have always been a maker. Exploring materials, getting my hands dirty and making things happen is the only way I know to keep moving ahead. When I was a child my mother always kept me busy with paper folding books. In time I shifted to origami and it kept me busy for long hours. This developed a creative interest in me. During the four years, I spent pursuing a B.Des. in Communication Design at Symbiosis Institute of Design in Pune I worked on a lot of self-initiated projects, making products. I specialized in stop-motion animation as it gave me an opportunity to work with different materials and make tangible miniature sets for films.

Paper has always been my first choice of material but the products I made were not fit for use, as the paper isn’t the best fit for making daily use products. When I applied to NID for the Master’s program, I chose to major in Ceramic and Glass Design because I realized that if I could make products with clay and fire them I would have a ready-to-use product without any industrial setup or processing. Ceramics gives us an opportunity to work at an individual studio level as well as at an industrial scale setup – the process remains the same more or less. I can now understand how a product is made, from research to manufacturing, and can put the idea/product out in the market with the aid of animation. I visualized a multi-disciplinary career covering the spectrum from visual communication to industrial design. It is with this understanding of Industrial Design and Visual Communication that I am able to not just make something meaningful but also share its story and importance with others.

What kind of ‘tangible design and storytelling’ work do you do?