Making taxi's 'artful'

Have you heard of the small company, Taxi Fabric? It’s neither listed not does it have any plans in the immediate future. But the work that it is doing is very interesting.

The team of Tax Fabric, three of them, work hard to make the drab and dreary interiors of taxi’s and auto’s in Mumbai into a work of art. On their website, it has provided a platform to artists around the world to collaborate and work to make art. There are some 50 designers and they have recreated interiors of 36 cabs in Mumbai into paradise.

How this works is – the taxi driver or the owner, once he evinces interest in this transformation, is aked about things which matter to him the most or what he would like to see inside his vehicle. Some opted for dreams, some for painting books – this cab used to ferry children and the creators actually left uncolored areas which children promptly coloured with crayons. Then there is one tax driver who was passionate about Indian day-to-day used tools, one about freedom movement, one about the various workers of Mumbai, one about dabbawallahs and many many more.

Once the work of art is created, it is digitally printed and then with a special presser, pressed onto polyester fabric. Every seat and panel is measured and the designer pitches in to shift the blueprint onto the cut fabric. A fitter then fixes the fabric on the seats, the roof and door panels. This makeover costs around Rs.25,000 to Rs.30,000 and most go for funding via Kickstarter, a crowdfunding platform and through donations.

If you get lucky and get a ride in one of these cabs, do enjoy the art and ask the driver what it means to him. Surely a much “artful” way of travel.