I am an Indian woman working towards understanding the use and experience of contemporary design and spatial environments. A storyteller at heart, nothing excites me more than understanding how people function and operate in society, and what their stories are. As a design historian, I am keen to communicate, to diverse audiences, these stories of how people experience their day-to-day designed environments. Before joining the MA, I worked in museum, academic, and journalistic environments in India. During my time at the MA, I worked on two projects at the Victoria & Albert Museum and also engaged in digital curation with my cohort for the 2020 graduate show of The Royal College of Art. Going forward, I intend to build on this experience, by working in institutions and writing alongside.
My research has hitherto focussed on the experience of spatial environments and South Asian culture. Specific subjects have been: representations of kitchens in lifestyle media in India post economic liberalisation (done as part of my undergraduate dissertation at the Centre for Environment Planning and Technology in India), microwave cooking and housework in the UK from 1980-2010, exploring a way to study architectural practice in India through the lens of the day-to-day factors influencing practice, and a 19th century South Indian bracelet in the collection of the V&A, all of which were done as part of this MA. As part of my professional work in India, I conducted and coordinated research on the South Asian religions of Jainism and Hinduism while working in a museum design firm, and on contemporary design and architecture in an academic setting. Going forward, I intend to keep my focus on contemporary design and spatial environments and South Asian culture.
Digital Discomforts: RCA2020 | Deepika Srivastava
Volunteer, Collection Management, V&A:
- Documented, photographed, barcoded, audited, and updated digital records of the various objects in storage
- Gained insight into workings of museum collection management systems
Volunteer, Gallery Testing, Museum of Childhood: V&A
- Undertook visitor and audience surveys of exhibits on display
- Reported findings from the surveys to the exhibitions and design team
Contact
Email: deepika.srivastava@network.rca.ac.uk
Instagram: @deepika.js
Twitter: @Deepika_JS
LinkedIn: Deepika Srivastava