A fresh avant-garde wind from Pakistan

Simply speaking, Umer Bhatti is a Karachi-based architect, graduate of the University of Karachi 2007. However his portfolio only hints at the architect, designer and entrepreneur on the surface of the man with big ideas and ideals. While gaining experience with architectural design projects within a studio, Bhatti got involved in sustainable architecture. He soon started consulting for NGOs and worked in villages building houses with indigenous materials like bamboo and mud. This experience then brought him to a collaboration with the Heritage Foundation and on the documentation of the World Historical Site Makli Necropolis and conservation of the tomb. He is currently exploring sustainable design from a product perspective, and debuted at the Farrar Gallery with furniture created out of recycled materials.

You’ve already entwined your name and professional career to sustainability, in both architecture and design. How did this interest start?
It started when I was studying and we have been asked a lot of questions about sustainability by our design instructors, the research and thought process started back then. And when started practicing architecture I was lucky to work on projects based on environmental friendly building and economically suitable. And from there I went to the roots of “our” traditional architecture and modern techniques combined together to bring sustainable solutions for the habitat in the villages with limited resources and climatic restrictions. So my journey of exploring and experiencing architecture led me from one door to an other.

What kind of reaction does the word “sustainability” inspire amongst your peers?
Unfortunately “sustainability” inspires limited people in design field, or may be its still an infant here.

What can you define as your most inspirational project to date?
It’s hard to define inspiration from one project, but if I still list own and define inspiration related to my style is the work of TYIN tengesture Architects and their project Old Market Library is one of my favourite. http://www.tyinarchitects.com/works/old-market-library/#

Speaking about your jump from architecture to design: how did your decision evolve? Did you think it was only natural for you to go into product design? Or more about a way of challenging yourself?

I like challenges, one of the reason to work in villages is to challenge myself with limited resources. Building houses with mud and bamboo made me realize that the closer you are with the material the more you can explore the characteristic of that material. This approach inside me developed an interest of playing with the different materials, so I came to the conclusion that my specialty is to explore materials or objects and create something out of it, which is a piece of art but functional.

You are now heading your design company, Prometheans. Could you tell us more about it?
Prometheans was born from my own studio apartment when I moved in I needed furniture, and not the furniture available in the market. I wanted to create something that defines me. So I made a bed out of shipping pallets and bookshelves with the used ammunition boxes and tables with wooden wine boxes and transformed the mid century style chair into a contemporary furniture piece. And people loved the furniture and I loved the whole adventurous process of looking for interesting objects and then think about using them differently but practically. And I found my passion through exploring sustainable architecture to sustainable product designing.

The goal is to recycle material in a manner that their covert beauty comes to life under PROMETHEANS design philosophy and craftsmanship. It’s a Frankenstein expression to create furniture through the juxtaposition of randomness. The collection presents a kaleidoscope of raw earthiness with its rustic and industrial visage as well as the muted elegance of the vintage.

Prometheans is a one man show at the moment. But it is expanding slowly slowly and it will become an institution one day.

What other interests do you have reserved for the future?
My next show is in October 2014 in Islamabad, and this time it’s going to be one big installation along with other designed art objects and some photographic art, so I am excited about it.

My main interest for the future is to expand Prometheans in to two different directions and not limit myself in rural or urban sector, I will use my experience of building sustainable houses in the villages and bring Prometheans as a social enterprises development and the other branch of Prometheans will create design art and reach the international market.