We had written about 3 wonderful designers and revivalists doing stellar work. We continue with another 3, each of whom is close to my heart and I am friends with. They work from weaves from their particular area and are dedicated.
Naturally Anuradha – Anuradha Kuli –
There is just one word for Anuradhas’s creation – beautiful. A weaver who
worked with the Sericulture Training Institute of the Silk Board, before launching her own little
brand. She effortlessly combines traditional motifs into contemporary textiles –
mekhela, chadder and sarees. The colour combinations and the motifs are to die
for. She has a very pretty petite lady belonging to the Miri (Mishing)
Community of Assam. Two
things that really strike about Anuradha’s creation is the brilliant colour
combination and the choice of motifs. This together with her clever use of
silk, mixing mulberry with eri, tussar and muga. In the weft, in the borders,
for the motifs, the result is remarkable. It is amongst finest of silk woven in
some astounding patterns from the North East. The motifs are all from the North
East traditional ones but they had been given such a beautiful contemporary
interpretation that I was bowled over. So beautiful that the colour combination
and sarees are lyrical.
Sarees and Mekhela in natural dyes
using Mulberry and Muga.
Image courtesy - Naturalli Anuradha
Image Courtesy of Pankaja Studio
Pankaja Sethi Studio - yes Pankaja from Odisha. One
tiny bundle of energy is how one can describe Pankaja. She has worked
extensively with the textiles of Odisha and more importantly she has documented
tribal textiles which has not been done by anyone so far. This extends to the
Dongria Kondh embroidery. One of the most beautiful of shawls embroidered by
the women.
Speaking with Pankaja revealed that she had been working with the Adivasis or tribal weavers and artisans of Odisha for over 10 years. A social Anthropologist and a textile designer, this combination is what brings out her sensitivity to tribal way of life, practices and at the same time explore design development and weaving with them. Her research has been funded by Karun Thakar Project Fund, Sahapedia-UNESCO, Nehru Trust for the Indian Collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum amongst others. It is her work documenting the textile traditions of Dongria Kondh textiles, Kotpad Adivasis, Kontha or quilting traditions of Ganjam, Kerang – bark cloth of Gadaba Adivasi women which was the pivotal point for me. There are many designers who are working with textile weavers of Odisha. The wealth of textile tradition in Odisha is mind boggling. She has worked extensively with natural dyes which is her forte.p
Image Courtesy of Yatri Weaves
Gayathri KK – Yatri Weaves – Reviving
the forgotten textile techniques of South India with special focus to Tamil
Nadu. To be precise, Gayathri recreates textile museum pieces. The pieces one
of a kind, but with her tenacity it becomes a saleable wearable option. Gayathri
is a research freak, who using her skills in the online world has unearthed
some spectacular collections from South especially Tanjavur, Kanchipuram and
more. She has then painstakingly worked with weavers to revive the tradition
and create sarees and other textile from them. Her work ranges from Neerezhuthu, (The tamil term for Kalamkari - literally
meaning writing using water) with an artist in Andhra Pradesh. The other is mezhugu
ezhuthu – batik, Kutni – satin yes, Mashru from Tamil Nadu, Tanjavur ikkat, intricate
sungudi woven using Kancheevaram technique, Fusing of three to four different
textile techniques to recreate museum pieces. She has used old photographs, old
pieces in museums as references to give a modernistic interpretation. Speaking
of photographs she says, they are all black and white photos, so we just use
our imagination and give it the desired colour. She recently curated an
exhibition at the Dakshina Chitra Heritage Museum titled -Resist Revive.
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