~NID Ahmedabad students showcase innovative bamboo lighting installations at London Design Festival 2026 through OSA Studio’s “In-Between Thresholds” exhibition.
London, UK, Sep 15 (VNI): Students of the BDes Furniture and Interior Design programme at the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, are showcasing their innovative bamboo lighting installations at the London Design Festival 2026, being held in London, UK, from September 12 to 16. The student works are part of an exhibition presented by OSA Studio under the theme “In-Between Thresholds.”
The installations were developed during an intensive four-week bamboo lighting course at NID, Ahmedabad, as part of the studio course Design Workshop-3. The projects were guided and mentored by Prof. Neha Nandkumar Mandlik, Subroto and Ranjith. The exhibition presents the students’ material-led explorations and their interpretations of bamboo as a contemporary lighting material, taking their work from NID’s studios to an international design platform.
According to NID, the projects explore the possibilities and limitations of bamboo through hand tools, machinery and locally available processes. Students experimented with strips, dowels, curves and other transformed forms while developing modular and knock-down systems. Their work examines how bamboo interacts with light, shadow, movement and space, with the material treated not simply as an object to be shaped but as a collaborator whose natural behaviour influences the design process.
The seven showcased projects draw inspiration from diverse memories, cultural references and experiences. Bhavvika Sharrma’s installation evokes blooming jasmine and the glow of a diya, while Sri Abirami and Abhishek’s “TARANG” translates the movement of a courtyard fountain into dynamic bamboo forms. Ishna Savadatti explores modularity and movement through similar bamboo components, while Nayana Bhadran combines bamboo with red manjadi seeds to reflect the journey of a pilgrim. Rizwana Shuja draws on medieval Indo-Islamic jali patterns to create an interactive lighting environment, Sharon Madhu Sekhar revisits the childhood memory of a power cut, and Yuvraj Thakare transforms memories of Diwali lights and fireworks into a contemporary modular bamboo installation.
The exhibition theme, “In-Between Thresholds,” reflects the students’ exploration of spaces and experiences between stillness and movement, memory and immediacy, and presence and absence. Through OSA Studio’s platform at the London Design Festival, the NID students gain an opportunity to present their work before international curators, designers and design professionals, highlighting contemporary Indian design and innovative material exploration on a global stage. VNI NEWS, NID Ahmedabad, National Institute of Design, London Design Festival 2026, Furniture and Interior Design, Bamboo Lighting, OSA Studio, Indian Design, Design Students, Contemporary Design
Focus Keywords: NID students London Design Festival 2026, NID Ahmedabad bamboo lighting, bamboo lighting installations, London Design Festival, OSA Studio, Indian design students