BigTop

Welcome to the circus! The acts of whimsical fanfare begin to unfold right at the entrance. The art installation adjacent to the entrance passageway comprises an electric pole found in a scrapyard which was accessorised with defunct appliances and gadgets like a plasma television, CD players, and retro computer speakers in zesty colours! The installation was further made to feel like a slice of life representation with the inclusion of repurposed wire from which dangle tattered clothes, shoes, and kites — an extremely quintessentially Indian visual that makes a debut in every mohalla (street) ! - Ishita Sitwala

The entrance door engages the sensory experiences of touch and sound as it leaps into a rabbit hole of memory. The existing site door was retrofitted to give it a renewed lease of colour and elemental play. A radial octet of hand horns occupies the centre while bicycle bells stipple the scarlet door .A series of arches dot the passage when one makes their way inside. Bathed in a lively warm teal hue, these arches made of scrap metal pose as architectural features to create a sense of movement as one traverses the space. Grunge chandeliers made of bike chains and metal filings levitate over the passageway, flanked by upcycled vehicle headlights that present themselves as bespoke luminaires .The flooring here is a mishmash of discarded samples that have been assembled in a Tetris-like fashion, procured from ceramic, tile stores, and active sites of fellow designers in the city — each sample measured, and every segment ideated individually while it forms an integral part of a larger visual tapestry. - Ishita Sitwala

The billing counter stretches itself along the expanse of the passageway and culminates as a live salad counter on the far end. The billing counter is a classic steampunk piece brought to life by ingeniously collaging arbitrary junk upon the front elevation of the counter in collaboration with Mechanimal. - Ishita Sitwala

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JURY VOTES
Restaurant

5.84

4.99

6.45

6.40

5.92

Ed Ng Cofounder and Principal at AB Concept

6.6

5.8

5.9

6.2

6.13

Vera Dieckmann Founder and Creative Director at XO Atelier

Surprising creative concept with un...

5.52

5.31

6.74

5.64

Simon Saint Principal and Global Residential Sector Leader at Woods Bagot

6.02

3.38

8.17

7.1

6.17

Atlihan Onat Karacali Educator at University of Central Lancashire

6.1

5.27

7.81

6.27

6.36

Alex Whitlow Research and Strategy Director at Quinine

6.6

6.98

8.1

6.92

Daniela Viloria García Senior Lighting Designer at Broadway Malyan

6.29

6.98

7.49

6.44

Idmen Liu Founder at Matrix Design

6.1

5.55

Nicholas J Hickson Founder & Technical Director at THDP

6.6

4.17

6.81

5.95

5.88

Anja Pangerl Executive Partner at Blocher Partners

5.75

Nataly Bolshakova Founder and Lead Designer at Bolshakova Interiors

3.61

3.42

4.26

Daniel Perlin Founder at Make_Good

4.61

5.93

6.46

5.7

5.68

Vincent Zhang Founder and Design Director at Stylus Studio

6.25

Location

12/2, Yeshwanthpur Industrial Suburb, Estate, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560086, India

Designer

Multitude of Sins

Client

Bangalore Creative Circus

Floor area

233 ㎡

Completion

2021

Social Media

Project BigTop: THE CIRCUS CANTEEN

Born from the brewing cauldron of nostalgia and travel, BigTop is a farm-to-table eatery christened as The Circus Canteen. The circus is seen as an event of fanfare, wherein troop members put together a spectacle far removed from the clutches of the mundane. BigTop has been conceived with unconventionality helming the process.

Each element from surface finishes, custom lighting, art installations, to the furniture has been curated from a city-wide waste donation drive; treasures wrought from salvage markets and dumping yards with less than 10% of the material being sourced afresh. Graced by the artistic community of Bangalore Creative Circus, this venue is emblematic of unshackled creative expression that manifests as hues, textures, and bespoke upcycled installations. Each table encapsulates a transportive experience, ensuring that the waste dons a reimagined sculptural presence entwined with utility.

The series of arches at the entrance is composed of scrap metal bathed in a lively teal hue. The passageway axis is dotted with grunge chandeliers consisting of bike chains and metal filings, flanked by upcycled vehicle headlights that pose as luminaires. The overarching flooring is an ensemble of discarded display samples pieced together in a Tetris-inspired fashion. A patchwork collage of discarded wallpaper swatches creates a riveting backdrop to the food counter, imbuing it with an interplay of colour and pattern. The focal collage wall is a mishmash of e-waste, sanitary fixtures, and discarded furniture that resembles a whimsically imagined jigsaw of waste.

Project BigTop is the beacon of a pressing environmental message, yet it garbs itself in an artistic mien while revealing its identity to its end-users. A space for the misfits where oddities belong serendipitously!

WORDS MULTITUDE OF SINS