KBF Builds Giant ‘Green’ Maveli for Lulu Mall

KOCHI:
This Onam, a larger-than-life experience awaits visitors to the Lulu Mall. A 20-foot-tall Maveli, fabricated by artists from the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) using mainly nature friendly materials, sits in welcome at the entrance.
The supersized Maveli – made out of iron, special papers, jute, cloth, coir, rope and reclaimed wood – is the newest addition to the retail major’s ongoing environment awareness campaign, ‘Nature First’. It also marks yet another successful collaboration in the longstanding KBF-Lulu Group partnership.
‘This is the first time any mall in the world has made a green Maveli. We are excited to associate with the KBF yet again, especially for a cause like ‘Nature First’. The purpose of this initiative is to draw the attention of our customers towards the importance of recycling and ensuring sustainability of the environment in every which way possible,” said Shibu Philips, Business Head, Lulu Mall.
Complete with an ‘Olakuda’, the installation has been garnering plenty of interest from customers. Much the same as the KBF’s previous artistic intervention in the mall: a unique live sculptor’s studio in June that helped spread the message of ‘Nature First’, a year-long initiative to sensitise Kochiites on the need to preserve natural resources.
“The KBF is very happy to be able to collaborate with the Lulu Group in celebrating the festive Onam season, our enduring partnership and the beauty of nature. We hope visitors to Lulu Mall enjoy our interpretation of the most enduring symbols of nature and unity,” said
KBF Secretary Riyas Komu. “The KBF is proud to continue participating in the Nature First campaign and help showcase the importance of the environment through art.”
The Lulu Group’s association with the KBF and the Kochi-Muziris Biennale goes back all the way to the first edition of the Biennale in 2012. The relationship has since strengthened and matured.
The Maveli structure is open for viewing at the Lulu Mall entrance from 9 am to 11 pm over the festive period.