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Textile Design
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anupchoudhary.nid@gmail.com |
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Design Intervention in Hand-woven 'Ikat' Fabrics at Nuapatana, Orissa
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Guide Paresh Chatterjee |
Sponsonr International Centre for Indian Craft (ICIC), NID, Ahmedabad
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My project ‘Design Intervention in Hand-woven’ ‘ikat’ fabrics’ at Nuapatna was initiated by Government of Orissa. Nuapatana has a rich heritage of 800 years of history in ‘Ikat’ weaving. This heritage is becoming increasingly vulnerable to the challenges of changing times and lifestyles.
The objective of my project was to empower the traditional craft communities by refining their design skills and consciousness.
After initial field research in the community and market surveys, my focus shifted from just range development to improvement of fabric quality. I also invested time trying to blend into village life. I collected data in the form of notes, photographs, video recordings and physical samples.
The design intervention involved initiating training programs to make the weavers aware of the necessity of an eye for details and building a proper work space. The most crucial imperative was to build a self-sustaining work force which would also spend time thinking and not just executing as instructed.
Initially, Many elders in the weavers’ community were skeptical and felt that the value of hand woven clothes was fading away. Given this scenario, the journey of initially locating a dedicated workforce was challenging. However, as the project progressed, and more and more samples started coming in, we were able to generate enthusiasm among the weavers, giving me immense satisfaction. The initiative resulted in a final range of saris made in 2 slots, after an iterative process of refinement. I am thrilled to have used my design education in a grass-roots empowerment initiative. |
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