This project was part of the 'Yatra' art-installation for the Shilp Deergha art gallery at the new Indian Parliament House, New Delhi. It was commissioned to Tilfi, for the art gallery by Dastkari Haat Samiti, under the leadership of Ms. Jaya Jaitley. I was assigned to work on the textile art piece, which was part of the art-installation.
"Yatra holds space for the poetries of artisanship, architecture, history and spirituality to write their verses on the golden threads of Varanasi's ghats. It is a journey through Varanasi and its origins, unraveling through the holy city's finest contemporary craftsmanship."
In the execution of the installation several craft traditions unique to Varanasi, were brought to bear. The centrepiece being a handwoven textile artwork, 96 inches in length, which attempts to trace the city's skyline and mirror its heritage.
Project Brief :
The brief was to design and plan this handloom art piece, in a way that it depicts the heritage and the beauty of the majestic ghats of Varanasi and the river Ganges. Also keeping in mind the topographical, architectural, spatial and directional accuracy of historically and religiously significant places; along with the technical consideration of handloom and the weaving technique being used, to finally make the piece.
Some image references ; Top (left to right) : Chet Singh Ghat, Brij Rama Palace on Darbhanga Ghat, Man Mandir Ghat
Bottom (left to right) : Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple, Manikarnika Ghat, Alamgir Mosque
Initially I started out with researching about various monuments and religious sites on the ghats, which have deep connections with the communities and history of Varanasi. Amongst the 84 ghats of Varanasi, each one has a story to tell, while there are some which are relatively recently built, such as the Namo ghat ; there are some which are ancient such as the Manikarnika ghat, which is a cremation site and is considered as one the holiest by the Hindu community.
Many sites have been a contribution to the city's heritage, by various patrons, such as the Man Mandir Ghat built by Maharaja Man Singh of Amber in 1600, it is a Rajput style palace along with an observatory called Jantar Mantar. Other examples include, Karnataka ghat built by King of Mysore in 1910, Bhonsale ghat built by the Maratha king Bhonsale of Nagpur in 1780, Ahilyabai ghat built by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Madhya Pradesh in 1778 and many more.
There are also many sites which have become iconic to Varanasi such as the Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple which has a nine-degree slant and remains submerged most of the year. Another one is the magnificent Alamgir Mosque built in 1669 by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Similarly there are many other sites which tell the tale of how across the time, various communities, cultures, beliefs and stories have come together to form the complex and rich tapestry of Varanasi.
The research helped me in deciding the relevant elements of the composition, their necessary characteristics and their order. The next step was to finalise the fabric and understand the loom considerations from the weavers and the graph maker, to make the design accordingly. Post discussions, we decided that the fabric will be 5 - end mulberry silk satin; and the weaving technique was to be nakshi kadwa. Post which I proceeded with creating the composition and deciding on the colours.
Graph-maker, Guruji making the graph and images of the finished graph
Next step was to make the graph for the art-piece and get the jacquard cards punched. One of the biggest challenges in the graph-making was to make sure that each element translates well and distinctly using a variety of urtu (binding points for extra weft) patterns for the same; but most challenging part was to execute it at the required scale. Once the cards were prepared and loom was set up, first sample was woven in tested zari, to check the translation of the design and colours. After looking at the sample, all details were approved and the final piece was woven using real zari (metal thread constituting 98 percent pure silver, with gold plating). Given below are images of the final piece.
Finished woven art-piece
Close up detail images
Read more : Sansad ki Kala
This project was made for Tilfi, all the designs are the intellectual property of Tilfi and thus cannot be shared in detail on a public platform. Using or recreating any content of this project including photos, designs and videos is strictly prohibited.
Project mentor : Ujjwal Khanna
Image credits : Team Tilfi
Big thanks to all weavers, graph-maker and artisans for their contribution, inputs, and translating our vision to fabric.
