Satyendra Pakhalé (also known as Satyen Pakhalé; born 1967) is a multifaceted designer, artist, industrial designer, and architect. He realizes projects in art, design, industrial design, applied research to design vision of the future, technologically challenging product development, manufacturing, highly crafted pieces, exhibitions, and architecture. He works in the fields of art, design, exhibition design, product design, including consumer electronics, health care, aviation, mobility, home appliances, furniture, digital products & computers, and interior design and architecture. In 2008, he was selected as one of L’Uomo Vogue magazine's 80 most influential creative people with a vision worldwide in art, design and architecture. His works are in the permanent collections of several museums worldwide.

Early life

Satyen Pakhalé was born and raised in central Maharashtra, India. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Design Engineering from Visvesvaraya Regional College of Engineering, Nagpur (now Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology). He then studied for a Master's degree in Design at the Industrial Design Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, and Product Design at the Art Center College of Design, Switzerland, Europe.

Design works

Pakhalé has been internationally active in the field of design, art, industrial design and architecture since 1993. He worked initially at Philips Design—a new business creation department on innovative products in the areas of digital communication and mobility. In 1998 he set up his own design practice in Amsterdam, Netherlands. One of his solo design exhibitions 'From Projects to Products' of his body of works took place in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and another at Otto Gallery Bologna, Italy, curated by Paola Antonelli, curator of Museum of Modern Art, New York and at Gallery Ammann, Cologne, Germany. The design manager and marketing executive Alceo Serafini has described Pakhalé's work as follows: "'The refreshing difference to be found in Satyendra Pakhalé's designs lies indeed in the form he chooses, for his way of creating is not merely subjective, rather it is the sublimation of cultures in which he belongs. The resulting design language is beautiful to look at, stimulating and easy to interpret. In this way he gives to us a new identity, that belonging to all the people of the world.'" In 2014, Pakhalé is selected as one of ten Must-See Artists-Designers at Miami Art Week 2014 for ‘Design at Fairchild – Satyendra Pakhale’ exhibition at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables, Florida.

Culture of Creation / Theoretical position

‘Culture of Creation’ is an active studio practice, an ongoing research platform cofounded by Satyendra Pakhalé together with Arch. Dr. Tiziana Proietti in 2013, based on decades of studio practice coupled with theoretical applied research. Culture is always dynamic, always evolving and changing at any time in history. The notion of a ‘Culture of Creation’ refers to the primal and innate impulse behind human making. The ‘Culture of Creation’ platform brings critical thinking and studio practice together while covering topics such as social modernity and secular humanism, atmospheres of spaces and objects, human senses and perception, poetic analogy of form and sensorial design. ‘Culture of Creation’ explores the inner dimension of objects and spaces. From the start Satyendra Pakhalé has cultivated a design practice focused on the culture of making, be it craftsmanship or highly technological manufacturing, inspired by tireless research on the mentioned topics. This theoretical position, 'Culture of Creation', was first published in a comprehensive monograph called 'Satyendra Pakhalé Culture of Creation' by nai010 Publisher, Netherlands Architecture Institute, Rotterdam, NL. At the heart of Satyendra Pakhalé's studio practice as a ‘Culture of Creation’ are two key considerations. The first is his conviction that cultural influences without succumbing to nostalgia, false narratives, or traditionalism, have to be factored in. The second is his perception of the rational, the emotional, and the multi-sensorial as being one. By reflecting upon and then synthesizing these two aspects, he has developed a concept of ‘social modernity’ rooted in social cohesion that is at the same time contemporary and forward-looking. In Satyendra Pakhalé's view the project of ‘modernity’ is still a work in progress in most societies, to achieve diverse, equitable, and inclusive social cohesion. Design has to help bring the disintegrating elements together, unite them and then weave them into a flourishing contemporary society. We ought to rebuild society on the foundations of ‘social modernity’. In Pakhalé's view, ‘Design is a cultural act about justice as much as utility and beauty.’

Awards and recognition

Pakhalé has received the following awards and recognition:

Major collections

Pakhalé work in the following permanent collections:

Major exhibitions

Academic contribution

Pakhalé has been regularly invited to give lectures and workshops in North America, Europe, South America, and Asia at universities and conferences such as "Catch the Future" at KAIST (The Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology). He was visiting faculty at the departments of "Man and Activity" from 1999 to 2005 and "Man and Living" from 2005 to 2006. From 2006 to 2010, he was the founding dean of the department of Master of "Design for Humanity and Sustainable Living", now called Social Design"Master of Design" graduate program at Design Academy Eindhoven, Netherlands. "Professor of Practice" at the faculty of "Industrial Design Engineering" 2021–2022 at the Delft University of Technology, Netherlands.

Books

Contributing authors - Albrto Alessi, Juhani Pallasmaa, Paola Antonelli, Jacques Barsac, Giulio Cappellini, Aric Chen, Cristiano Crosetta, Ingeborg de Roode, Rene Spitz, TizianaProietti, Walter Spink, Vittorio Livi, Marva Griffin, and Stefano Marzano ‘His designs suggest a haptic skin-relationship through their sensorial forms, poetic associations and tactile surfaces: they stimulate sensations of intimacy and nearness.’ - Juhani Pallasmaa Paola Antonelli, curator of Museum of Modern Art New York has said, introducing Satyendra Pakhalé's design works: "'No matter how abstract the form, it shows Satyendra Pakhalé, who has studied in different countries, who has worked initially for Industrial purist Philips in the Netherlands and all the while has experimented with ancient Indian techniques, who is rich with talent in his own right, is a champion of new chapter in the history of design.'"

Documentaries and Interviews

Sources