London Design Biennale 2021: Bamboo toilet in Somerset House

Architect Nisha Mathew Ghosh showcases indigenous ideas at London Design Biennale’s India Pavilion, to spur divergent approaches to sustainability

The India Pavilion at the ongoing London Design Biennale 2021 (LDB) is mapping ‘hero stories’ — from innovator-engineer Sonam Wangchuk’s ice stupas (which melt in summer to generate water) to smokeless chulahs. All inventive, indigenous, and sustainable ideas developed in various parts of the country in the last few years. “It is quite an ‘aha’ moment to see what India looks like through the lens of its people and their efforts to make a sustainable world,” says architect Nisha Mathew Ghosh, 52, who has curated the pavilion. “It is exciting to imagine a future of collaborations to build this world of better ecological stewardship together.” The pavilion at Somerset House, titled ‘Small Is Beautiful: A Billion Stories’, comprises 150 entries segregated into five categories: Clean Air, Clean Water, Clean Earth, Clean Energy, and Forest. Ranging from product inventions to material explorations, each responds to the overarching theme of ‘Resonances’, as chosen by LDB’s artistic director, Es Devlin.