Kolkata Lab
Comilla Cotton and Bamboo

The first lab in the series took place in Gangtok, Sikkim, from 2 April to 11 April 2026, where the participating artists worked with their collaborating artisans and experts under the guidance of Sarmite Polakova (Germany), and Sonam Tashi Gyaltsen (India).

Kolkata Lab Bio Design South Asia © Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan

About the Lab

The Bamboo and Comilla Cotton Lab in Sikkim, organized by the Goethe-Institut Kolkata, focuses on two key regional materials:

Bamboo, a fast-growing and regenerative resource, is deeply rooted in the Eastern Himalayas and has long been used in construction, crafts, and everyday objects for its strength and flexibility.
Alongside this, the lab explores Comilla cotton from the West Garo Hills of Meghalaya—a historically present yet underexplored material now seeing revival. It offers an opportunity to rethink cotton as part of broader regional fibre systems and value chains.

In this lab, designers, researchers, and craftspeople engage with bamboo and cotton as part of a contemporary material system. Through field research, testing, and prototyping, they explore how these materials can be processed, combined, and adapted for new applications in architecture and design.

The lab aims to connect traditional knowledge with experimental practices, reimagining bamboo and cotton for future-oriented, regionally grounded innovation.

Project Mentors

Sonam Tashi Gyaltsen is an Industrial Design graduate from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. He is Co-founder of a multidisciplinary design studio called Echostream and a sustainable social enterprise called La. The studio focuses on community-driven design solutions. He is a recipient of the Naturenomics Award 2021.
Sarmīte Poļakova is a materials designer and researcher whose work focuses on transforming industry waste and various by-products into new closed-loop concepts. Material and product lifecycles take a central role within the designer’s work resulting in unique concepts that emphasize circularity over plain longevity. Her practice consists of hands-on experimental research with the manipulation of existing designing and production methods. This playful approach leads to surprising findings that also question our existing ways of producing, consuming and discarding.

Participating Artists

Pema C. Bhutia is an architect, researcher and a passionate community builder from Gangtok, Sikkim. With a Bachelor's in Architecture and a post-grad Urban fellowship from IIHS Bengaluru, she has worked across urban design, policy research, and civic engagement. She has co-led participatory design projects, exhibitions and campaigns, working at the intersection of governance, sustainable urbanism and youth leadership. As part of the Executive team at the Sikkim Development Foundation, she is driving the revival of one of Sikkim's oldest NGOs. She is also currently a fellow at the Future Ready Leaders Fellowship with the Roots to Branches Foundation. Beyond her development practice, she is a co-founder at Kuna Design studio, where she leads a small team of architects and designers. Through these diverse practices she intends to build on her work towards understanding Urbanism in the Himalayas and developing context specific solutions for more resilient mountain cities.
Chingrimi Shimray is a Textile Designer and Co-Founder of Ishi, a tri-annual magazine to discuss, share and argue. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Textile Design from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. As a native of Tangkhul herself, Shimray is currently engaged in textile research on Tangkhul community’s textiles for which she is working closely with Tangkhul Women Organisation. In association with one of her friends Chingrimi has opened an instagram account called Project Kharak. Through Project Kharak they are issuing a magazine called Ishi. As a photography enthusiast, Shimray has come up with photo essays. Through Ishi, Chingrimi and her team have tried to provide a safe place for “Ishi” meaning “Us”. The intention of the magazine is to tell the stories through the perspective of indigenous communities which have long been marginalized.
Lalrin is an Advocate and Founder working at the intersection of law, culture, and technology. Her work explores how innovation can strengthen justice, dignity, and economic resilience, especially within small communities and emerging economies. Through her ongoing ventures, Lalrin is developing practical models that connect constitutional values with modern innovation, projects such as Treaxures, which uses augmented reality to bring cultural heritage and storytelling to life, as well as other initiatives in healthcare access, rural mobility, and digital rights.