Advaeita Mathur: EDIDA India Young Talent 2016

Originally trained to be a fashion designer, New Delhi based Advaeita Mathur has a deep love for metal. Her practice, Studio Metallurgy went from producing just jewellery to now also crafting beautiful pieces for the home using metal in unique ways.

Two of her creations, Vintage Music Instrument lamps and the Molten Woods tables particularly stood out, leading her to bag an EDIDA in the Young Talent category for her promising projects. While the former reuses dysfunctional trombones, trumpets, alto horns and other wind organs, the latter was made from discarded scrap metal and fallen timber. In February this year, Advaeita even showcased the pieces at the renowned design fair Ambiente in Frankfurt, Germany. In a long, candid chat, she tells us all about her interests, work and story. Here are a few excerpts:

ELLE DECOR: What is the best part about winning an EDIDA?

Advaeita Mathur: Honestly, I was quite surprised when I won because until a little over a year ago, I wasn’t into what I am doing today. So winning was massive surprise Christmas present. When you know you’ve worked hard and been creative, and suddenly out of the blue someone says, “you know what, you’ve been good. Here’s an EDIDA” – that’s what it felt like.

ED: How would you best describe your brand and what you do?

AM: Studio Metallurgy initially began by creating jewellery with raw materials like plumbing washers, electric fuses, rivets, nuts and bolts because I love using unconventional materials. To find these, I visit a lot of old industrial factories. That’s when I stumbled upon old brass instruments and decided to convert them into lighting fixtures for my own home. I made an entire range of these and somehow I started getting orders from people saying, “we love it! Why don’t you make us a piece or two?”

ED: Can you take us through the process of putting these lights together?

AM: I take these small trips to go and collect every single instrument and make them in small batches, around 20 to 25 pieces every couple of months. It took me a whole year to find the perfect kind of wiring to turn them into lights because you don’t get these in the open market.

ED: Who are your favorite product designers right now?

AM: I’ve discovered some people who do brilliant work through EDIDA, whom I never knew because I wasn’t in this line. Rooshad Shroff is one such designer. I also really like Rayden Design Studio.

Website: www.facebook.com/studio.metallurgy

Also read: David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore: EDIDA India 2016 Bathware joint winners