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The Butchered Art of Mirrorwork
For those familiar with an Indian flea market, the sight of a gypsy woman clad from top to bottom in beefy silver jewelry and a bright, ornate costume is probably not a new one. She may be found hard-selling here wares ranging from heavily embroidered shoulder bags, bedspreads or table runners. There’s truly nothing fascinating…
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The Regional Flavours and Global Language of IKAT Weaving
The word IKAT is derived from the Indonesian word Mengikat, meaning to tie. It is a technique that employs resist dyeing similar to tie and dye on warp and/or weft threads prior to weaving. Alteration to the bindings and dyeing in more than one colour and removal of all bindings produce multicoloured patterns on weaving.…
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Ajrakh Legends
Ajrakh is believed to be a symbolic representation of the universe, the blue representing the night sky, the red denoting twilight and the white geometric motifs signifying the stars in the dark sky. Their fingernails are the color of the midnight sky, and their eyes gleam like diamonds when they talk with passion about the…
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The Wood-carvers of Pethapur, Gujarat
Examples of the art of dyeing fabrics exist from the period of the Indus Valley Civilisation, however the origins of block carving are now lost among the pages of history. It is believed that this art was developed and specialised by artisans who were traditionally carpenters and the techniques may have been borrowed from Iran at the…
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Essaying the Revival of Parsi Embroidery
Parsi Embroidery is an aesthetic composition of pictorial traditions and an emblem of elegance. Combining the beauty inherent in four cultural traditions – Persian, Chinese, Indian and European – this exquisite textile form is truly an intercultural craft. The Parsi community, followers of Prophet Zarathushtra, left Iran for India, and settled along the western coast…
Storytellers of Wonder 