Avinash Kumar — Co-Founder
Avinash is a co-founder of Quicksand, a pioneering research and futures practice at the forefront of social impact driven innovation in the Global South. At Quicksand, he has led a speculative design practice that looks at bridging the worlds of human centred design, design fiction and co-design to explore hopeful futures and strategies for organisations such as Wellcome Trust, MSF and Barbican. Avinash is also the creative director of Antariksha Studio, active since 2013 building video games for Indian heritage, currently supported by Epic Megagrants and New York based incubator New Inc. Antariksha Studio is on a mission to create an ‘Independent AAA’ video game. Under his artist alias Thiruda, he has been a mainstay in the Indian electronic scene as a VJ since 2007. His ongoing live performance project 'Elsewhere in India' explores Indian futures thru Gen-AI, under the philosophy of ‘A.I. for Cultural Good’ and is an internationally touring show that was presented at the London Film Festival, Roundhouse London and Adelaide Fringe in 2023. He has represented India in international music festivals in Germany, UK, Australia, Europe and Asia. He is a founder-director of UnBox Festival and EyeMyth Media Arts Festival and has been responsible for curating several Indian design and art festivals, residencies and productions that have shaped interdisciplinary design communities in India.
Stackforce AI infers this person is a leader in cultural technology and design innovation, with a focus on social impact.
Location: Goa, India
Experience: 20 yrs 10 mos
Skills
- Entrepreneurship
- Design Thinking
- Creative Direction
- Product Design
Career Highlights
- Pioneered human-centered design in the Global South
- Co-founded multiple impactful cultural initiatives
- Innovative leader in transmedia storytelling and gaming
Work Experience
Materia Verde - Circular Biomaterials Lab
Co-Founder (1 yr 3 mos)
Elsewhere in India
Co-Founder (3 yrs 10 mos)
Antariksha Studio
Co-Founder (13 yrs 3 mos)
EyeMyth Media Arts Festival
Co-Founder (14 yrs 3 mos)
UnBox Cultural Futures Society
Co Founder (15 yrs 2 mos)
BLOT!
Co Founder (9 yrs 8 mos)
Quicksand Design Studio
Co-Founder (20 yrs 10 mos)
Education
3 yr Professional Program at National Institute of Fashion Technology
high school at Mothers International School