Design intervention at silk weaving cluster in India

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REKHA: Contemporary stripe explorations in traditional silk weaving

This project was a group effort of textile designers at NIFT Bengaluru batch 2014-18. As a part of our "craft cluster" program, we were provided with a brief to create swatches of contemporary designs for silk sari weaving, at Chintamani Silk Weaving cluster in Karnataka.

"REKHA denotes a line/demarcation.
This is our interpretation of contemporary stripes, applied to traditional weaving techniques, with the help of the master craftsmen at Chintamani. Our inspiration ranged from fashion archives of thick and thin stripes, barcodes, and a mix-match style. We aimed to create aesthetic and harmonic repetitions to suit the contemporary design demands in the ethnic fashion space."

Our group was given the silk yarn: NOIL and KORA to be used as a weft, with a mulberry warp. (All yarn details provided with the swatches below)

Together we learned about the limitations and scope for exploration in a traditional craft medium. We understood the technicalities of a working Dobby pit loom, one-on-one time in the life of an artisan, and the role of his family in supporting their livelihood.

Paper swatches of stripe explorations to be rendered in the woven samples

The most unparalleled experience was understanding the value of this coded craft that wove together, the symbolic threads of tradition that represented the trials of the human experience, from different walks of life. Working and living in a time-stamp village called Chintamani in Chikkaballapura district in Karnataka was a truly humbling experience, opening our eyes to vast perspectives hidden in plain sight.

I will never forget these days at Chintamani and I'm sure all of us classmates feel the nostalgic essence of those days imprint in our memories.

The gratitude felt towards this opportunity has been of spiritual value.