From a sofa to a helicopter made entirely out of newspaper, Goregaon resident Manish Agrawal’s creations at Sofitel, BKC, provided a source of inspiration
‘Reduce, reuse, recycle’ has long been a mantra for doing one’s bit for Mother Earth. However, it takes more than just a noble intention to turn eco-friendly ideas to fruition. Meet Goregaon resident Manish Agrawal, whose unique eco-friendly creations were showcased at Sofitel Mumbai at Bandra Kurla Complex, last week from April 12-17.
Using scrap artistically
The artist showcased his creations as part of PLANET 21, a sustainable development programme implemented by AccorHotels. Through this programme, Sofitel Mumbai aims to protect the planet, its people and the environment through various sustainable development activities. Agrawal is an interior designer by profession, which becomes evident once you take a closer look at his life-size projects. He has created a helicopter, a three-seater sofa, a relaxing Maharaja style chair and an exclusive iPad study chair—all made from only newspaper and thread. A closer inspection reveals the sturdiness of these items, thus confirming that Agrawal has employed his interior design knowledge aptly. He shares, “My knowledge of interior design has certainly helped me as you understand concepts like measurement, weight and balance.”
The raw material
Agrawal is popular in his building for his environment-friendly creations that also include large canvases that don’t employ paint—instead they are made using scrap glass beads, metal loops that have been rejected in manufacturing, resin flowers and more. Ask him about his favourite creation and it’s akin to asking a mother to pick a favourite child. But after a few seconds, he says, “The chandeliers made from Sprite bottles are a favourite!” The artist has been working with reusing materials for the past two years.
Local impact
This year, the theme for the PLANET 21 campaign was ‘My Positive Local Impact’ that includes preserving and protecting the natural environment as well as involving local artists and communities to display their commitments to society by making use of materials that can be reused.
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 "L-R: Maharaja-style chair, three-seater sofa, iPad study chair")
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