Sutr Santati exhibition in the Capital’s National Museum pays tribute to India’s textile heritage | Eye News,The Indian Express
Textile revivalist Lavina Baldota has brought together over 100 exhibits of specially commissioned fabrics by skilled artisans, well-known designers and artists
Sunday, Sep 11, 2022
ePaper
Today’s Paper
Journalism of Courage
HomeExplainedPolitical PulseIndiaCitiesOpinionEntertainmentLifestyleTechnologyVideosSportsAudioEducationPremiumInvestigations
Subscribe
Sign In
TrendingUPSC KeyEveryday ExplainersApple iPhone 14 eventHealth SpecialsMovie ReviewsFollow AuthorsCricketAcademic Counselling
if (window.innerWidth) //if browser supports window.innerWidth
var page_w=window.innerWidth;
else if (document.all) //else if browser supports document.all (IE 4+)
var page_w=document.body.clientWidth;
//var page_w=screen.width;
if( page_w > 1024 ) {
jQuery(".add-left,.add-right").show();
}else{
jQuery(".add-left,.add-right").hide();
}
HomeEyeSutr Santati exhibition in the Capital's National Museum pays tribute to India's textile heritage
Premium
Sutr Santati exhibition in the Capital’s National Museum pays tribute to India’s textile heritage
Textile revivalist Lavina Baldota has brought together over 100 exhibits of specially commissioned fabrics by skilled artisans, well-known designers and artists
Written by Shiny Varghese
/// Story Page Editor Details ////
jQuery(".bulletProj").hover(function() {
var dividshow = '#div_'+jQuery( this ).attr( 'id' );
jQuery( this ).siblings("#div_written_by_parent").html( jQuery( dividshow ).html() ).show();
})
jQuery(".editor-details, .editor").hover(function () {},function () {
var dividhide = '#'+jQuery( this ).attr( 'id' );
jQuery( "#div_written_by_parent" ).html("");
jQuery( "#div_written_by_parent" ).hide();
});
September 9, 2022 11:03:01 am
Freeway by Chanakya School of Craft. (Courtesy: Abheraj Baldota Foundation)When asked what would happen if specialists such as weavers and artisans fade away, German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld was prescient in his observation. “There would be no haute couture anymore,” said the creative director of the French fashion house, Chanel.
Be it in the early 16th century when skilled needlewomen were taken to Portugal along with gifts for the Queen, or when textiles were one of India’s most popular exports, besides opium, indigo, and raw cotton in the 18th century, Indian craftsmanship have been famous for ages. An exhibition called “Sutr Santati”, organised by the National Museum, New Delhi, and the Abheraj Baldota Foundation, Karnataka, acts as a perfect showcase for India’s artisanal versatility. Textile revivalist Lavina Baldota has brought together over 100 exhibits of specially commissioned fabrics by skilled artisans, well-known designers and artists. Many of the exhibits are collaborative pieces with NGOs, designers and design institutions. As an ode to 75 years of India’s Independence, Sutr Santati (meaning the continuity of yarn) showcases themes, techniques and materials through the lens of innovation. The exhibition is on display till September 20.
Buy Now | Our best subscription plan now has a special price
Many traditional techniques have joined hands with contemporary design, leading to statement art pieces in this exhibition. “Since the exhibition talks about the ‘then, now and next’, we were mindful of how our past informs us, how we work in the present and the possibilities of the fabric or the technique in the future. Can children of craftspeople take it forward or will youngsters want to explore it? So, I involved many students from design institutes across India in this exhibition, especially those who have worked with artisans. The idea of changing the associations of textile to art is not new, but the attempt was to collaborate and bring it to the fore,” says Baldota.
Mumbai artist Sukanya Garg, who has always worked with paper in the past, has used tie-and-dye on silk and collaborated with zardozi artisans from Kutch for the exhibition. Ahmedabad-based visual artist Jignesh Panchal, who has worked on canvas and cardboard before, has layered the art of pichwai on mashru. There are examples from Lucknow’s chikankari tradition, which shows 64 types of stitches on translucent muslin. Called “Shatranj”, the favourite game of the Nawabs of Awadh, the exhibit presents a variety of motifs through the geometric style of a chessboard. Then there’s the jamdani directory from West Bengal, which presents intricate patterns of the embroidery technique. While master weaver Balarama Krishnamoorthy from Kanchipuram shows 114 motifs of the weave on mulberry silk, Bengaluru-based Vimor Foundation brings the “Kanjivaram Gandaberuda and Yali”. The gandaberuda (double-headed bird) and yalli (griffin), done in red, black and gold, are salutations to the traditional weave yet present a contemporary aesthetic that moves from being just a textile piece to a work of art.
Rating: 5