AI reducing mediocrity in art, write Sir JJ School of Art, Architecture and Design faculty

By Zahir Mirza and Mustansir Dalvi

Art is something that's created for its own sake -- as encapsulated by the French slogan l'art pour l'art -- while design is always with an objective. Design encompasses everything from fashion technology to architecture to communication design. The relationship between the two can be compared to pure sciences and applied sciences. While one studies the former for its own sake, the latter has a definite purpose.

Worldwide, art education and design education have been well integrated, but it hasn’t happened as much in India. We still have some distance to go when it comes to translating pure art into design. We are still in the early stages of design and its education. While the Japanese and Italian designs have their distinct language, we are yet to arrive at something akin to ‘Indian design’. In fact, there’s little collaboration between the art and ‘arts’ or, what the rest of the world calls, humanities.

The recent controversy around Prada displaying footwear closely resembling Kolhapuri chappals sums up this gulf. Louis Vuitton has also designed an ‘autorickshaw handbag’. If we had better fused art with design, we could have come up with something ourselves. The sense of aesthetics Prada has added to the chappals is much higher, as there’s a lot of thinking behind it.

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While one reason for the divide could just be the inertia, the fact remains that the two continue to have different disciplinary frameworks. Fortunately, the National Education Policy (NEP) seeks to break the walls between academic specialisations. Before the new policy came in, pedagogy tended to be rigid.

Blending art, architecture, design

There’s integration happening in professional practice, if not in educational institutions. Architects, for example, aspire to be everything. We see some architects actively creating art. Mumbai architects Nuru Karim, who runs ‘Nudes’ studio, and Arzan Khambatta, an architect and sculptor, come to mind.

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The JJ School of Art, Architecture and Design aspires to be a place for blending the three streams. Personally, the two of us are a multi-disciplinary tag team, constantly picking each other’s brains. We dabble in a lot of things – poetry, writing and acting, besides teaching architecture and design. This is because practising design intrinsically is a holistic activity. A designer’s mind is always restless.

During the four years preparing curricula for the university, the faculty of art, architecture and design worked closely with each other. It’s an article of faith for us that students from one school are required to take up a course from another. It’s a unique opportunity for art, design and architecture to be stitched together. Most of the architecture schools tend to get associated with civil engineering, we want to turn the clock in another direction – from tech to art.

Design thinking

Having said that, it’s foolish to think that design can be aloof from all pervasive technological advancements. Fifty years ago, artists weren’t using cameras. Now, all of them do. Steve Jobs launching the iPhone in 2007 changed everything.

Design thinking is a new buzzword. It’s a collaboration between different professionals, such as artists and supply managers and materials persons. Such collaborations, aided by technology, can be for various products, be it a poster or a movie.To this end, the communication and experience design course at the university has been kept open for everyone, from engineers, architects to psychology majors.

In the last few years, we have seen a spurt in new institutes offering programmes in art and design. The best of these institutes, with best of the faculty and facilities, are taking the discipline forward. But for every good institute, there are five mediocre ones. Ultimately, the quality of any new institute depends on the objective and vision of its management, which is always countered by its bottom line.

Also, any good institute is a product of its faculty. The faculty at the JJ University is singularly responsible for creating the institute and defining its vision. We now want to continue producing teachers of the future – progressive, empathetic and creative.

AI reducing mediocrity in art

With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), work opportunities in design have only increased.

We now need ideators and thinkers, as they are valued more than skilled designers. There will still be opportunities for those possessing higher, super unique skills. In fact, we are glad that AI is reducing mediocrity by doing the work earlier done by people with specific skills. But, opportunities will never shrink for thinkers and ideators.

Another key desired quality for new graduates is leadership and the ability to collaborate with other disciplines. We empower our students so that they are prepared for the leadership of our future. On the art side, we need people who are risk takers.

All three fields – art, design and architecture – give you an ability to set up your own practice. You can essentially be self-employed from day one, depending on your leadership, creativity and zeal. You need not depend on anyone for the work.

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Even in the past, when a lot of these practices began, architects would graduate and set up their own practice. Even the artists would hold exhibitions and be appreciated. These courses give you the ability to even overcome market forces.

Zahir Mirza (a former ad-man, an artist and brand consultant) and Mustansir Dalvi (professor of architecture) are both faculty at the Sir JJ School of Art, Architecture and Design, Mumbai. This piece first appeared in the 200th issue of the Careers360 magazine, published in August 2025

(as told to Musab Qazi)