IKIGAI Design's Award-Winning Innovation: The Bengal Classical Music Festival

Revolutionizing Eastern Classical Music with a Generative System

The Bengal Classical Music Festival is the world's largest Eastern classical music festival, held annually in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The festival's new identity, launched in 2015, is a testament to IKIGAI Design's ingenuity and innovative approach to design. The team's inspiration for the design came from the profound impact of music on the soul, and the unique conversation of love expressed through the syllables of Eastern classical music.

What sets this design apart is the unique generative system based on 'Raga', a fundamental concept in Eastern classical music. The system uses a 3D scanned statue of a musician as the core seed to generate design elements unique to each performer's music. The lighting of the statue changes to reflect the different times of the day or night when a 'Raga' is played, further enhancing the visual appeal and uniqueness of the design.

The realization of this design involved a blend of technology and art. The team 3D scanned the original statue and virtualized it for use in the custom generative system. The system includes a database of 378 Ragas, along with a list of classical music performers and their tracks. The selected music track is converted into data points through FFT conversion, which are then used to manipulate the 3D shape of the statue.

The creation of this design was not without its challenges. Translating the complex and nuanced realm of Eastern classical music into a generative system posed a significant theoretical challenge. However, through comprehensive research on Raga in collaboration with classical music theorists, IKIGAI Design was able to overcome this hurdle and create a design that truly embodies the essence of Eastern classical music.

The Bengal Classical Music Festival's unique identity has not only revolutionized the visual representation of Eastern classical music but also earned IKIGAI Design the Golden A' Design Award in 2017. This award is granted to outstanding creations that reflect the designer's prodigy and wisdom, embodying extraordinary excellence and significantly impacting the world with their desirable characteristics.