In February 2023, I put on my first exhibition at Liverpool John Moores University Public Exhibition Space. It drew on several years of travelling to India conducting research and collecting textiles and the stories of their makers. This exhibition showcases a selection of these textiles and stories, including ones that have been designed and made by artisans in the region of Kutch, western India and the small town of Maheshwar in Madhya Pradesh, central India. It also includes a selection of garments from small fashion brands that incorporate traditional crafts from these two regions and a film that was made during my PhD research which documents the handloom weaving process…
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Review: Textile Society of America Symposium 2018: The Social Fabric: Deep Local to Pan Global
I was delighted to receive the TSA Student award to attend and present my research at the biennial symposium which this year was held in Vancouver, Canada. It was my first TSA symposium and first visit to the city and I was impressed with the attention to detail in the organisation and schedule, and the variety of inspiring, thought provoking and quality papers by scholars and practitioners responding to the symposium theme ‘The Social Fabric Deep Local to Pan Global’. Many of the papers and keynotes did well to respond to issues relevant to the locality of Vancouver, such as decolonisation, reconciliation of First Nation communities and the repatriation of…
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Responsible Crafts Tourism in Kutch
‘I want to teach weaving to as many people as possible. I want to contribute to this craft and make it as popular as possible in the whole world. This is what I want.’ Dayalal Kudecha, SKV graduate, weaver-designer and teacher, Bhujodi, Kutch. Weaving is just one of the many textile crafts of Kutch that form an important part of the cultural identity, economy and social life of the region and both the individual and collective maker and user. The many Kutchi villages, home to weavers, block printers, bandhani (tie-dye), batik artisans and embroiderers, have become popular destinations for visitors seeking to escape from busy city life or learn more about…
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The role of traditional crafts in contemporary India: an interview with Rahul Jain
Feature Image: Drawloom for patterned silk velvet, Rahul Jain’s workshop, Varanasi, 2015. Photo courtesy Textile Art of India, New Delhi ‘I describe my work as a continuation of a heritage, a legacy, that is 2,000 years old’ (Rahul Jain, personal communication, June 2016) I had known about Rahul Jain’s work for a while, read some of his huge range of extensively researched books on Indian, Iranian and Turkish textiles, desperately trying to understand the complex weaves they document, and had heard about his inspiring work reviving ancient weaving techniques in Varanasi. An interview with the weaving connoisseur published by Live Mint revealed some of his views on craftsmanship and crafts in India,…
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Review: London Antique Textiles Fair
The Textile Society’s Antique Textile Fair which was held at Chelsea Old Town Hall on Sunday 4th October had its usual vast treasure trove of textile delights. I’ve gathered some images and stories of a few of my favourites here: The featured image above is of some vintage Frazadas from Peru. Sue Richardson of Gallery 196 tells me these pieces are made and used in the Andes as blankets or rugs to keep the chill out. They take up to 3 months to make and are traditionally woven by hand on a back strap loom in two pieces, which are then decoratively sewn together and edged. Alongside these Gallery 196 have many much-loved kantha quilts, embroidered…
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Kota Doria
I recently visited Kota on my way from Jaipur to Maheshwar keen to learn about the Kota Doria sari weaving tradition. I was kindly helped by Victoria Singh, a local resident and founder of the Kota Heritage Society. After accompanying her on a few errands around town – she is involved in a lot of local charity and heritage work, she took me to the village of Kaithoon which is about fifteen kilometres from Kota, and the main centre for weaving in the region. Victoria Singh and Ritu Jain write more on the kora doria in an article for Hand-Eye magazine. We first went to meet Badrun Nisha, the secretary of the Women’s…
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South India travels: Chennai and Kanchipuram
This post is part of a series on textile travels in the South of India, others include Hyderabad and Sircilla in Andhra Pradesh. Chennai has a lot to offer for the art, craft or textile lover. It is home to the Crafts Council of India that supports crafts through exhibitions, education, marketing and more. The Kalakshetra cultural foundation promotes the study of the performing and visual arts. It was founded by Rukmini Devi Arundale – ‘the Institution stands testimony to her dream of creating a space where the essence of Indian thought would find expression through artistic education,’ and standing in defiance with ‘vulgarity and commercialism’. Notably, as I later write about my visit…
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Contemporary Gadwal Saris by Vinay Narkar
Gadwal is a small town in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh. It has long history of handlooms. The Gadwal sari has strong links to the Kornad saris of south India, which Kanchipuram is most well-known for today. Both share similar techniques and designs including the interlocked weft technique used for the borders. The kundi technique used in the Ilkal sari that I have discussed in a previous post, also shares close similarities, and as Vinay mentions below, belongs to the same group of saris as those from Solapur, Vinay’s home town. Gadwal saris, like many across India usually carry a temple design locally known as a reku. Local women often wear the…
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Review: Tang Ke Sang – Traditional and Contemporary Ply-Split Braiding
Two exhibitions are currently being held at Khamir in Kukma village near Bhuj, Kutch. Read about Rohi: stories of the shoemakers of Kutch here. The second exhibition is Tang Ke Sang which showcases the unique and characterful ply-split braiding technique traditional to North West India, in the form of both traditional items and innovative interpretations by renowned maker Erroll Pires. History and technique The ply-split braiding technique, locally called ‘guthna’ as the English name suggests, involves splitting the ply of wool or cotton chords and interlacing them to create a very strong fabric. This fabric is therefore perfect for camel girths, harnesses and decorations which are made using this technique chiefly in North West…
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Review: Stories of the shoemakers of Kutch
Above image: Artisans viewing the Rohi exhibition. Photo Courtesy of Khamir. Whilst I was in Kutch, I managed to see two excellent exhibitions at Khamir, a resource centre for the support and promotion of crafts in Kutch. Khamir’s serene and beautifully architectured campus which reflects the traditional buildings and village layouts of Kutch is situated at Kukma village 15 km from Bhuj city. As well as exhibitions on the local arts of Kutch which are easily accessible to the artisans involved as well as visitors and tourists, Khamir runs documentation and research projects, works with designers to create new craft based products and facilitates trade. The name of the current…
