Experts call for a Department of Design for the state to emerge as a creative hub of the world.
Kerala will develop a Design Policy that will promote sustainable infrastructure development in the state and the government will launch the Kerala Design Festival from 2020.
Speaking on the concluding day of the three-day long Kochi Design Week (KDW) on December 14, 2019, Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala, announced that the Kerala Design Festival “will be launched with the collaboration of the Department of Tourism to woo international designers to the state. It will incorporate sustainable development projects, including housing and smart city projects using new technologies and designs. There will also be the involvement of the Kerala Startup Mission to promote entrepreneurship and skills,” the Chief Minister said.
He also said that the Kerala Design Festival will be the longest such fest in the world.
“Design Week has been able to change the state’s design mindset in line with the government policy of ‘build back bright’. Kerala talents have headed many multinational companies in design-related fields. It is by taking this into consideration that the government has decided to set up a centre of excellence in design in the state,” he said.
Experts who participated in the Kochi Design Week also stated that Kerala requires a Department of Design for the state to emerge as a creative hub of the world. Such a setup can enable the government to focus on the state’s strengths in the field of design and resolve pertinent deficiencies, they said in a panel discussion at the KDW, which concluded on Saturday.
Experts were addressing a session on ‘Kerala as Creative Hub of the World’ on the second day of the KDW, held from December 12-14, organised chiefly by the government to chart a long-term development mission for the state through futuristic design and architecture.
