Namma Secular Bengaluru
(Sticker Design)
(2015)
This project was a part of a course in which I studied transport art in India and the cultural meanings transmitted through it. During my research process, I realized that the most obvious cultural information available on public transport through stickers was that of the dominant religion of that area or that of the owner of the vehicle. This created religiously segregated spaces in public places like markets and residential areas. My stickers are a response to this observation and offers a more secular alternative. While we are free to express our religious affiliations, we are free to express our secularity too and my stickers aim to embody that .
The “All Gods OK Please” sticker conveys a very direct social message advocating acceptance of all religions with common symbols of all religions. I have kept the design inspired by local truck art (like the quintessential Horn OK Please) and the colors match the hood of auto rickshaws to make the message blend locally.
"All Gods OK Please"
Sticker Design
Final waterproof vinyl sticker
(with the willing autorickshaw driver who became the user)
"The Warders Of The Evil Eye"
Sticker Design
The “Warders of the Evil Eye” sticker is less direct and borrows cultural information directly from different religions found in Bangalore. It combines symbols found in different religions that act as talismans to ward off the evil eye like the Drishti Bommai, Masha Allah and the Nimbu Mirchi Nazar Battu in one sticker.
The information transmitted would be that the area has presence of multiple religions. Combining their symbols will hopefully transmit the feeling that the locals consciously hold no prejudice or bias against religions other than their own and create a more secular vibe in the public domain of transport.
Final waterproof vinyl sticker on a private car.
Laser cut stencil of design.
Prototype of how the stencilled design will look like on a private vehicle.
