Thursday Salute to Originals: Art on Wheels
Taxis aren’t typically regarded as a glamorous of method of travel. Usually scrunched into an outdated, stuffy, and grimy back seat, most patrons can’t wait to bolt from those yellow doors as soon as the brakes hit at their stop. But if you’re a passenger in India, on the other hand, you might just decide run that meter a little longer and take another lap around the block.
Taxi Fabric is a design firm in Mumbai that pairs with local artists to produce fabric interiors for cab vehicles. But this multidisciplinary company doesn’t just create your run-of-the-mill interiors: boring colors, forgettable fabrics, standard design. No, Taxi Fabric completely decks out the cab interior – ceiling, seats, doors, frame – with vibrant, whimsical, and original cultural artworks.
Clearly, these cab interiors have a cool and unique vibe, but they do much more than just make for an interesting commute. Taxis are a convenient form of transportation in Mumbai, where tens of thousands of cabs move millions of commuters throughout the city. Cabs bearing these crazy interiors really stand out from the rest of the pack drawing patrons, while at the same time, exposing local artists to members of the public who otherwise might not have seen their work. Furthermore, drivers of these tricked out cabs report providing longer rides and get better tips as a result of the interior (how’s that for using art and design to spur economic growth!).
We love that this project combines a bunch of things that normally wouldn’t go together -public transportation, interior design, art, local advertising and promotion – and turns a cab ride from being a dreaded and mundane activity to the highlight of your day. And for that, we happily give our Thursday Original Salute. We’re keeping fingers crossed this trend catches on in the States soon. Imagine stepping off the curb to hail some local art on wheels instead of a grungy backseat!
Image Credits: Colossal