Glimpse of Xanadu

A magnificent bulbous glassware, golden in colour was shaped like waves from beneath and set on a piece of driftwood attached to it. The very sight of this beautiful piece of artistry holds you spellbound and narrates a passionate desire to create something unique and new. The piece, designed by Italian master artists, is moulded when the glass is still soft and at the optimum temperature. It is a creation that has not been seen before. 

Ambling among such a exquisite collection of wall plates, décor pieces, dinner and tea sets in porcelain, glassware and ceramics, at a recently held exhibition, was truly a refreshing experience. This astounding assemblage of pieces was displayed by Interarts, brainchild of space designer Purnima Sethi with the purpose of incorporating aesthetics in living space and how buying such elegant works can lend another dimension and inventiveness to it.

“I love art. I’ve been collecting pieces for years, but when I saw how people were admiring them, I decided to set up this company,” said Purnima Sethi. The collection ranges from the European treasure troves of master artists Amanda Brisbane, Giuseppe Armani, Goebel, Rare lladro figurines, Moorcroft, Falken Porzelain, Felix Bronze, Poole Pottery and others. These exotic and timeless pieces can surely captivate all and uplift a space in an instant lending it elegance. Purnima Sethi further added, “Some of the works present here are very unique and rare to come across since they are hand crafted and only a limited number of them are produced.”

Guiding us through this maze of art, she directed us to the glass art designed by artist Amanda Brisbane of Wales. “Amanda Brisbane’s pieces are one-of-a-kind and totally natural. They are hand-crafted where the colours are infused through sand into the molten glass and then moulded by hand at the right temperature to offer the fabulous works,” she explained. She also showed us Alister Malcom’s 2014 glass work collection which is again blown in a very different way, while putting silver films in it, which while blowing burst to form unique patterns on the glass piece. The interesting thing is that the artist has no control over all this.

Purnima next directed us to her favourite pieces in the exhibition. She shared with us, “Though all these pieces are really close to my heart, Moorcroft is the one which I hold dear. This age-old company makes ceramic vases which are highly exclusive and limited in number. There are ten to eleven stages that go in producing one of these and there are only twenty to twenty five people in the entire unit.” Displayed on a centre table, Moorcroft, with its vibrant, illustrious designs had a charm and character of its own. 

Based in England, the humble and passionate Purnima loves her home. “I am a person who loves her home and I love designing it in new and unique ways. That is why I started collecting these pieces. And I am really fortunate to have a supportive family who are art followers themselves. My daughter is doing a design course, my son is an architect and my husband, although a surgeon, is a very keen collector. So each corner of our house is designed in a quirky way.” With a rare emotion crossing her face, she said, “What I love, I share. These pieces are my prized possessions, therefore whenever a piece is sold, my heart breaks a little.”

The company, headquartered in Indore, only gets to put up their exhibition once in every city. The work involved is hectic and stressful. Her son, Akshay Sethi, has also joined the company and lends his support to his mother. “After the exhibition in Delhi, we’ll be going to other cities, the next on the list being Hyderabad. We’re also opening a store at Kolkata during these two exhibitions, so that would require me flying down there as well,” Purnima vocalised. This venture is a celebration of freshness and creativity and serves as a threshold to showcase forgotten art forms in its extravagant array. 

“Interarts is always on the lookout for something new,” Purnima divulged. Travelling to different places in search of antiquities, meeting like-minded people and discovering creative merchandise with a beautiful story instill inspiration in her. Purnima and Akshay also offer consultancy with their extensive experience as architect and space designer respectively, on enhancement of aesthetics in living spaces. Purnima further confided, “The aim of Interarts is to allure people to art in a way that lets them express their individuality in their unique decors, and derive maximum joy from it. To see people happy and satisfied through this craft has always been my motivation to surprise them with something special each time they visit us.”