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Connecting for INDIA

@connectingforindia

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Linking Indian craft traditions with contemporary horizons through international collaborative projects.
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Part 1 - @judyfrater’s talk in New York City

Judy Frater, who developed and directed the first program of design education for traditional artisans of Kutch, gave an inspiring talk discussing craft traditions in a changing world, restoring creative agency through education, and the personal expressions and innovations of the Ajrakh textiles on display. She demonstrated how shared understanding can reveal the ethos of sustainability and reinvent the essential human connection of hand craft.

Judy highlighted how the essence of hand craft is that it is made by an individual. The value of human creativity is in the little details that bring a textile alive, in a glimpse of how the individual met a challenge and created something new. When we aquire work created by an Artisan Designer, we experience a human connection, so that - as artisans say - “as the textile slowly wears away we remember the person who made it.”

#rehnumatheguidingstar by @connectingforindia

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3 years ago

Part 2 - @judyfrater’s talk in New York City

Judy Frater, who developed and directed the first program of design education for traditional artisans of Kutch, gave an inspiring talk discussing craft traditions in a changing world, restoring creative agency through education, and the personal expressions and innovations of the Ajrakh textiles on display. She demonstrated how shared understanding can reveal the ethos of sustainability and reinvent the essential human connection of hand craft.

Judy highlighted how the essence of hand craft is that it is made by an individual. The value of human creativity is in the little details that bring a textile alive, in a glimpse of how the individual met a challenge and created something new. When we aquire work created by an Artisan Designer, we experience a human connection, so that - as artisans say - “as the textile slowly wears away we remember the person who made it.”

#rehnumatheguidingstar by @connectingforindia

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3 years ago

Close up of a Kalamkari @mapbangalore by @connectingforindia

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14 days ago

Love this moment @judyfrater ✨ by @connectingforindia

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21 days ago

Glimpses of colours from Kerala @aranya.natural @shonepuipia @salonilodha by @connectingforindia

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a month ago

Chendamangalam weavers weaving softest cotton fabric with colorful borders and thin gold strips. by @connectingforindia

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3 months ago

Anni Albers pioneered textile-based fine art. She described weaving as ‘an example of a craft which is many-sided’. In an essay from 1937 examining ‘work with material’, she explained:

Besides surface qualities, such as rough and smooth, dull and shiny, hard and soft, it also includes colour, and, as the dominating element, texture, which is the result of the construction of weaves. Like any craft it may end in producing useful objects, or it may rise to the level of art.¹

It is significant that Albers felt she had to explain the distinction between ‘useful objects’ and ‘art’, stressing the many-faceted nature of her chosen medium. Albers dedicated the majority of her life to a deep engagement with weaving. by @connectingforindia

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5 months ago

When 🇮🇳 and 🇹🇭 unite. Hand dyed chiffon by Mohammed Tayab Khan and dress by @shonepuipia for @connectingforindia

Tayab is a master of colour who received the Padma Shri award for his handiwork and tie-dye work.

Though Tayab and Shone have never met, they held a silent conversation through @connectingforindia.

@shonepuipia’s work lies at the crossroads of fashion and art, offering a deeply personal point of view on clothing and beauty. Craftsmanship is at the core of his work, and the quality of being touched by hands is ever present in his designs.

Shone shared: “I am deeply honoured to collaborate again with @connectingforindia on this custom dress. This time we worked with a silk chiffon hand-dyed by Tayab in a beautiful degradé of colours that remind me of a sunset above stormy seas. We draped the fabric on-form, carefully placing the swathes of colour to swirl around the body. The draping gives a nod to both traditional Indian and Thai dress.”

Tayab reflected: “In 2001 I received the Padma Shri award for tie and dye work. The Prime Minister, A. K. Narayan Saab, the Rashtrapati, was there. I was so happy when I received this award. I am so happy you remembered me. The Indian government gave me this incredible award for which I am so happy.” Tayab bhai is the guardian of Rajasthan’s textile tradition, carrying forward a seven-generation legacy. His hands turn tradition into treasure. by @connectingforindia

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a year ago

Ajrakh for @asiaartarchive 2021 Gala by @connectingforindia

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a year ago

“It was friendship and a shared passion for textiles that led to a truly beautiful collaboration with my talented friend Shone.” says @salonilodha

Shone, a designer trained at The Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp with sensitivity for balancing Eastern and Western aesthetics, was instantly drawn to a very special textile by @basirkhatri. A Banarasi Kota silk, woven in Varanasi and then delicately hand-dyed using the Bandhani technique in Kutch.

@shonepuipia interpreted it thoughtfully, sculpting the fabric in an effortless way that beautifully showcased its unique character—even highlighting the reverse of the fabric and the original hem of the sari. The rich colours and artisanal texture complemented the skirt, which was embroidered in Bombay and made in #saloniworld London atelier.

A wonderful meeting of crafts and creativity ✨ #fromthearchives 2023

#BespokeCollaborations #connectingforindia by @connectingforindia

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a year ago

Reflecting on the @asiaartarchive 2023 Fundraiser Gala, which honoured the archive of artist @mrinalinimukherjee.foundation.

Mrinalini Mukherjee is one of India’s most prominent modernist sculptors. The hand-dyed textiles for the tablescape drew inspiration from the colours of Mukherjee’s sculptures.

Created by Aranya Natural, the fabrics were dyed using Indian Madder for red and Lac for purple. The organisation is dedicated to rehabilitating and providing sustainable livelihoods for differently-abled children and young adults from the rural plantation communities of Munnar, Kerala.

The forests of Munnar serve as a paintbox for the dye-making process. The dyers at the DyeHouse have received training in the resist-dye technique of Shibori from the world-renowned scholar, curator and artist, @yoshiko_wada_.

@aranya.natural @srishti_trust by @connectingforindia

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a year ago

“I am the youngest son of a well known family of weavers in Bhujodi. My father Vishramji Valji received the National award for crafts in 1974. Two of my brothers Hamirbhai and Shyamjibhai also have national awards.

My craft is very important to me. It is our culture and heritage. Our present success is a result of efforts by our forefathers.”@rajeshvishram

🎥 2022 cc @connectingforindia by @connectingforindia

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a year ago