Artisan Voice: an investigation of the collaborations between skilled, traditional textile artisans in India and foreign textile and fashion designers from the artisans’ perspective and their viewpoints of their craft industry in contemporary times. Deborah Emmett Master of Design (Hons) UNSW Art & Design March 2015 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Liz Williamson for her guidance and wisdom over the past four years. Her knowledge of Indian textiles and shared interest in travelling throughout India has been both insightful and supportive in assisting me to develop my research. I wish to thank the University of New South Wales particularly UNSW Art & Design for granting travel funds that enabled me to attend international conferences related to my area of research. The assistance and advice of Wendy Parker and Joanna Elliot about postgraduate administrative procedures at UNSW has been appreciated. In addition I would like to thank Penelope Ralph for her invaluable skills in editing my thesis. This research study would not have been possible without the cooperation and candidness of the traditional textile artisans from Kashmir and Rajasthan in India who were willing to participate in the research interviews. I am indebted to them for sharing their thoughts and welcoming me into their homes and businesses. Finally I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to my husband, Riyaz Hakim. His comments, perceptions and patience have assisted me in navigating my way through these years of research. As my translator and tireless supporter he should share the credit of my work. Deborah Emmett Artisan Voice | Master of Design (Hons) 2015 i ABSTRACT This thesis and collaborative project is a result of my fourteen-year engagement of working with textile artisans in India. During this period, I have become aware of various issues that socially impact upon traditional craft communities through their work with an increasing number of foreign designers. In the Foreword of Designers meet Artisans, Indrasen Vencatachellum, UNESCO Chief, Section for Arts, Crafts and Design, asks “Can there be a well- balanced and mutually beneficial interaction between designers and artisans?” He discusses the need for the designer to act as an intermediary between the artisan and the consumer, “a 'bridge' between the artisan's know-how and his knowledge of what to make.” Through their innovative approaches, are foreign designers offering a range of opportunities for the artisans to evolve their creativity, or does the artisan's role become that of a producer with no reference to the artisan’s cultural context? There is considerable documentation about foreign designers working with traditional textile artisans in India. These usually relate their experiences of social engagement with the artisans and resulting perceived benefits they provide. But as Dr Kevin Murray observes in his article Outsourcing the hand: An analysis of craft-design collaborations across the global divide the reportage is from the designer or NGO perspective, while the artisan’s viewpoint remains unrecorded. What about the artisan’s perspective on their collaborations with foreign designers? Does the relationship have a positive impact on their traditional communities? Through a series of interviews with artisans, I have established a dialogue that documents the operation of the artisans’ communities and their current concerns about their crafts, including their work with foreign designers. Inclusion in all aspects of the design process and direct collaboration with foreign designers when creating a product seems pivotal to a more sustainable future. How can conventional inter-generational transfer of skills in artisan communities be brought into a contemporary business context to maintain the involvement of the artisan’s more educated children? Addressing these issues will ultimately benefit collaborations between foreign designers and Indian textile artisans by developing a heightened awareness of the requirements and realities experienced by both the designers and artisans. Deborah Emmett Artisan Voice | Master of Design (Hons) 2015 ii PREFACE Although my early career focus was predominantly in the area of graphic design, when travelling throughout Asia, including India, I was always drawn to textile exhibitions, collectors and textile producers, particularly those using traditional techniques of weaving, dyeing and printing. However, it was not until a trip to Rajasthan in India in 2000 that a family friend, a gemstone dealer in Jaipur, asked me what I really wanted to do in life. My answer, that I wanted to create textile designs, led to some introductions to textile artisans in the area and the development of some of my designs. After some favourable encouragement from retailers in Sydney I proceeded, with my husband, to form our company Tradition Textiles. So I didn’t begin as a designer working in Australia who subsequently had the need to outsource to India for cheaper production costs, or to produce greater quantities; instead the business developed from the observation of materials and techniques used to produce traditional textiles in India that I could then utilise to realise my own design concepts. From the beginning, I have always valued the relationships developed with the artisans with whom I am working. Some have continued for long periods while others have finished. Usually the lasting collaborations are with artisans who share my own sense of aesthetics and are not afraid to experiment with ideas outside of their traditional comfort zone. They agree that their traditional skills and designs should always be evolving. During this period, I have witnessed that these collaborations impact upon the artisans’ work practices, their communities and their environment. I have become conscious of various issues that I consider should be addressed by foreign designers who, in increasing numbers, are working with traditional craft communities in India. This awareness has led to this study. Deborah Emmett Artisan Voice | Master of Design (Hons) 2015 iii CONTENTS iv Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i ABSTRACT ii PREFACE iii LIST OF FIGURES vii MAP xii PART I: RESEARCH STUDY Chapter One: Introduction – Significance and aims of study 1.1 Introduction to chapter 1 1.2 Background of study 1 1.3 Designer and artisan relationship 3 1.4 Aims of study 4 1.5 Rationale of research methods 5 1.5.1 Data collection, processing and analysis 5 1.5.2 Ethics clearance 6 1.5.3 Reflective analysis and limitations of the research 6 1.5.4 Associated project work: Volume II: Studio research 6 Chapter Two: Indian textile artisan communities and work practices 2.1 Introduction to chapter 8 2.2 Existing structures of Indian artisan communities: business models 9 2.3 Conclusion - the current situation of businesses involving textile 13 artisan communities in India Chapter Three: Foreign designers working with textile artisans in India: historical overview and contemporary collaboration case studies 3.1 Introduction to chapter 14 3.2 Historical overview 14 3.3 Contemporary case study: Easton Pearson 16 3.4 Contemporary case study: Jodie Fried – Bholu 18 3.5 Contemporary case study: IOU Project 19 3.6 Conclusion 20 Deborah Emmett Artisan Voice | Master of Design (Hons) 2015 iv Chapter Four: Indian textile artisans’ perspectives of their craft and collaborations with foreign designers: primary data interviews 4.1 Introduction to chapter 21 4.2 Research methodology 21 4.3 Artisan families, communities and skills - comparisons 23 and differences 4.4 Time and money perceptions 28 4.5 Technical and environmental changes and issues 30 4.6 Artisan design knowledge and experience with foreign designers 33 4.7 Artisan knowledge of products and markets 34 4.8 Conclusion – an overview 36 Chapter Five: Research conclusion 5.1 Introduction to chapter 38 5.2 Comparison of case studies and interviews 38 5.3 New considerations and approaches by foreign designers 39 5.4 Conclusion – new directions of research 41 Bibliography: Part I 43 PART II: COLLABORATIVE PROJECT Collaboration: People and Motifs Chapter One: The motif: the building block of traditional weaving, printing and embroidery textile design in India 1.1 Introduction to chapter 1 1.2 Motifs – an overview and use of the buta motif 1 1.3 Design composition adaptability 4 1.4 Conclusion 6 Chapter Two: Collaboration: People and Motifs 2.1 Introduction to chapter - Project Concept 7 2.2 Motif development and inspiration 7 2.3 Overview of participants in the collaborative project 10 2.4 Conclusion 11 Chapter Three: Project process 3.1 Introduction to chapter 13 3.2 Documentation of artisan’s participation in the studio project 13 – journal accounts 3.2.1 Crewel and chain stitch embroidery in Srinagar, Kashmir 13 3.2.2 Woodblock printing in Sanganer, Rajasthan 17 3.2.3 Appliqué embroidery in Barmer area, Rajasthan 19 Deborah Emmett Artisan Voice | Master of Design (Hons) 2015 v 3.2.4 Sozni and aari embroidery in Srinagar, Kashmir 20 3.2.5 Bandhani embroidery and dyeing, Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat 24 3.3 Conclusion – comparative analysis and observations 26 Bibliography: Part II 28 Appendices 1 - 12: Transcripts of interviews 29 Transcript One 29 Transcript Two 31 Transcript Three 33 Transcript Four 35 Transcript Five 37 Transcript Six 39 Transcript Seven 41 Transcript Eight 43 Transcript Nine 45 Transcript Ten 47 Transcript Eleven 49 Transcript Twelve 52 Appendix 13 Collaboration: People and Motifs project book 54 Deborah Emmett Artisan Voice