Mumbai Taxis Become a New Venue for Local Artists

If you ever hail a cab in Mumbai, you might be treated to more than a ride across the city. Taxi Fabric, founded by Sanket Avlani, is aiming to transform taxi cabs into works of art. 

So far, seven of the city's approximately 500,000 cabs are decorated in colorful wallpaper-like designs. Everything from the doors to the steering wheel is covered in the fun artwork. Avlani and his team are trying to cover at least 30 cars by the end of the year. 

The driving idea behind the fun project is to get the city dwellers into design. The community of Mumbai designers is very small, and the group that appreciates the art is even smaller. Avlani hopes that the artwork will spark a conversation between the driver and the passenger. 

Aspiring artists who would like to see their designs deck the interior of a taxi can submit their portfolio to the Taxi Fabric team. The artists are Mumbai locals who are inspired by the city they live in. If accepted, they will work with the team as well as the cab driver, if he or she would like to be involved. Taxi drivers will often decorate their own cars with small trinkets and seat coverings to liven up their place of business. This new idea takes the modest interior design to another level. 

The project is getting funded through Kickstarter, with the effort running until August 10th. "We want to help Indian designers have their work not only be seen but also allow them to connect with members of the public who up until now perhaps haven't understood that design can tell stories and create emotions," the Kickstarter explains. 

The project's latest tricked-up cab features the work of 25-year-old designer Pavithra Dikshit, with brightly colored plants on a green background. It's called the “Urban Garden,” and pays homage to diminishing green places in the city. 

“As a fast-growing metropolis, it has building and buildings coming up in every space,” said Dikshit. “The green color is shrinking, so I wanted my taxi to show to all the green things around you.”

[h/t: City Lab]