A 5-Day Academic Study Tour in Design, Craft & Contemporary Culture

Kolkata is not a city you “visit.” It’s a city you read.
From living craft neighbourhoods and colonial architecture to contemporary galleries and curatorial platforms, this immersion helps students experience design as a continuum—material, culture, memory, and modern practice.

This faculty-led moving classroom is not a sightseeing tour but an immersive, mentored learning experience. Guided by experienced designers and academics, students observe, sketch, document, and critically engage with Kolkata’s crafts, architecture, interiors, and public spaces through a design-thinking approach aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. The course sharpens visual and analytical skills while supporting students in producing well-crafted, portfolio-ready work, with outstanding projects selected for publication beyond the studio.

Duration:

5 Days / 4 Nights

Dates:

25 February – 1 March 2026

Seats:

25–30 design students
(first come, first served)

Fee:

₹30,000 per student*
(Airfare included)

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The Academic Anchor:

At the heart of this week is RAW Collaborative at Kolkata Centre for Creativity—an exclusive curatorial showcase on Design Cultures, bringing together India’s finest practitioners across art, craft, interior architecture, and contemporary design through exhibitions, interactions, and talk sessions (subject to schedule).

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Immersion Highlights

RAW Collaborative | Kolkata

  • One full day of curated engagement: exhibitions, walkthroughs, interactions, design talks (subject to schedule)

Craft & Making Ecosystems

  • Kumartuli: clay idol making traditions
  • Sholapith craft exposure / workshop (vicinity)

Heritage & Urban Architecture

  • Guided heritage walk through colonial and old Bengal architecture
  • Victoria Memorial (interior visit)
  • St. Paul’s Cathedral
  • Jorasanko Thakurbari
  • Alipore Jail Museum (adaptive reuse & memory)

Urban Life & Cultural Immersion

  • Mallick Ghat flower market (optional)
  • Prinsep Ghat + Hooghly river boat ride
  • College Street book market + Indian Coffee House
  • Street food, local markets, design-led stores & craft spaces
  • Evening exposure to music / theatre / cultural performances (subject to schedule)

Contemporary Art & Curatorial Practice

  • Experimenter Gallery
  • Optional add-ons (time permitting): Birla Academy / Academy of Fine Arts / Nandan
  • TRI Art & Culture
  • Durga Pujo Museum
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Who Should Join

  • Interior Design, Architecture, Craft Design, Fashion Design & allied disciplines
  • Students interested in contemporary Indian design, craft, curatorial thinking, and cultural context

Booking & Confirmation

  • Advance booking opens: January 2026
  • Confirmation: 50% advance payment
  • Last date for payment: To be announced

Note: This is a faculty-led academic immersion curated for learning depth, cultural exposure, and student well-being.

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Mentors / Tour Guides

Betul Bagdadi Tilley

Betul Bagdadi Tilley

Managing Director, Cindrebay Dubai. Interior Designer with a background at the British Embassy and extensive international experience.

Abubokkar Siddiki

Abubokkar Siddiki

ARB & RIBA-registered Architect and International Planner. PhD researcher on diaspora, urbanisation, and climate resilience. Lecturer and Chair, RIBA South East London Architects Group. Advisor and Adjunct Faculty at Cindrebay London.

Kaustav Kalyan Deb Burman

Kaustav Kalyan Deb Burman

Assistant Professor of Interior Design at UID, Karnavati University. Architect and CEPT-trained M.Des (Best Thesis), working at the intersection of craft, culture, and context-led design.

FAQs

This is a faculty-led academic design immersion. The itinerary is curated around learning outcomes - craft ecosystems, architecture readings, galleries, curated showcases, and cultural context. Expect observation, documentation, and reflection.

Design students from Interior / Architecture / Fashion / Craft / allied disciplines from across India. We keep the group limited to 20–25.

Seats are first come, first served, based on completed application and payment timelines. If applications exceed seats, we may shortlist based on intent note/portfolio (if requested).

25 February – 1 March 2026
5 Days / 4 Nights

A full-day engagement at RAW Collaborative (Kolkata Centre for Creativity) featuring curated showcases on Design Cultures, exhibitions, interactions, and sessions (subject to schedule).

  • Stronger understanding of Indian design cultures
  • Deeper insight into craft process, materiality, and making
  • Architectural reading of Kolkata’s colonial + indigenous layers
  • Exposure to contemporary curatorial practice and galleries
  • A richer sense of public-life design intelligence (markets, rituals, street systems)

Yes. This is faculty-led, and students will be guided through visits, group movements, and learning checkpoints.

Students are expected to maintain professional behaviour, punctuality, respectful engagement with local communities, and follow faculty instructions—especially during markets, public spaces, and group travel.

The core structure remains. Some items may shift based on venue schedules, local conditions, and crowd management, especially for galleries and performances.

Inclusions/Exclusions will be published with the fee announcement. Typically, tours like this specify: accommodation, local travel, entry tickets to key sites, faculty guidance, one curated meal, etc.—and clarify exclusions like personal shopping, extra meals, personal transport, etc.

  • Booking opens: January 20th, 2026
  • Confirmation: 50% advance payment
  • Final payment deadline: To be announced

A compact “design field kit” is recommended:
  • Sketchbook + pens/pencils
  • Phone/camera + power bank
  • Comfortable walking shoes
  • Light backpack + water bottle
  • Any required ID and personal essentials

Yes, the participating students will get certificates. “Certificate of Participation – Academic Design Immersion (Kolkata)”

Contact / Enquiry

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