A Magazine of the Arts
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
` 330 A Magazine of the Arts Colours of Nature: Dyes from the Indian Subcontinent Thomas Wardle: Indian Master-dyer Commercial Revivals in Bangladesh Painting with Natural Dyes The Chemistry of Chintz Shrinalatha Keshab with her woven shibori piece removed from the dye bath and unwrapped. Maiwa workshop, 2011. Corporate Office: SP Centre, 41/44 Minoo Desai Marg, Colaba, Mumbai 400005, India. Tel: +91 67490000 website: www.sp-group.co.in MAIWA With the aim of sharing knowledge of natural dyeing among experienced craftspeople, the Maiwa Foundation, an organization dedicated to the relief of poverty in rural villages by promoting economic self-sufficiency for artisans, organized a masterclass in Bengal at the end of January 2011. For a solid week, 20 artisans from throughout India and invitees from Ethiopia studied specific dye techniques and problems under the leadership of French natural dye chemist and botanist Michel Garcia. The masterclass included breakout sessions with Catherine Ellis (author of Woven Shibori). On hand to facilitate were members of the Maiwa staff and special assistants Jane Stafford and Gale Anderson-Palm. Orchestrating events and overseeing the project was director of the Maiwa Foundation The masterworks exhibition at the 2011 Maiwa Textile Symposium. and owner of the Maiwa Company, Charllotte Kwon. At the week’s conclusion the Maiwa Foundation announced The class faced several real challenges. For example, some the “Masterworks Challenge”. Participants were to use skills, of the artisans work with ikat techniques while others work techniques or knowledge gained during the workshop to in the traditional ajrakh block-print tradition. But while create a masterwork. A generous fixed price was offered for ikat uses a physical resist and hence can be immersion dyed, the completed piece that would also be part of an exhibition. block-printing involves premeditated calculations about In the summer months cardboard Fedex boxes began to thickened printed resists and dyes, and immersion mordants, arrive, not worthy of their contents – textiles that these tannins and dyebaths. A solution to a dyeing problem was artisans had worked so hard on. The pressure on working not really a solution unless it could be incorporated into an artisans to keep their studios producing is very strong. To take artisan’s procedure. the studio out of production for a one-time experiment is a The class met these challenges with dedication and, gamble. Maiwa was betting that the exhibition pieces would sometimes, a shift in perspective. Shrinath, an ikat artisan, be the bridge for the artisans to implement new techniques in was under pressure from clients to achieve a jet black of the their own studios. It was a bet that paid handsome returns. kind that was relatively easy to get with synthetic dyes. Over One box in particular caused many gasps when it was opened. the course of the week it was a persistent question – how can It was the package that arrived from Shrinath, the ikat artisan I get this black? But as the week unfolded and techniques who had asked so many times how to get a good black. The were shown to obtain a variety of blacks – through mordant, piece did indeed have black, as well as many other shades tannin, dye and overdye (often finishing with a strong indigo skilfully deployed on silk. The piece took centre place in the bath) – the artisans all agreed that the character of these exhibition, not only because it was an exceptional textile but blacks was preferable to the rather dead solid black which also because it was testament to an artisan overcoming a great Shrinath had been trying to get. These shades had depth, hesitation in his work and producing beautiful results. they could be pushed in different directions to harmonize Hand-based textile techniques often face a slow and inevitable with the other colours in a piece, and, most importantly for erosion in the face of the massive manufacturing power of these artisans, a natural black set their work apart from the the industrialized world. What we value most about natural more common synthetic dyed works. colour is a quality that reveals the presence of the human The class never let up on the quality of the colours: “It is hand. What we see is not only a colour, but a mark of important that your colours are well executed in a way that character, uniqueness and individuality. When these aspects makes them last as long as the cloth that they are on.” This are coupled with skill, talent and, most importantly for craft, was the unwavering goal. a deep knowledge of technique and method, the results are One of the greatest challenges of the class was language. textiles with the power to inspire and motivate us in the same The Maiwa organizers are English, Michel Garcia is fluent way as great music, art or writing. in French and English, but the attendees spoke Hindi, Bengali, Kutchi, Telugu and Ethiopian Amharic. The dyeing Text and photographs: Tim McLaughlin masterclass soon proved to be a linguistic one as well. The class examines finished dye samples at the Maiwa workshop, 2011. In keeping with Marg’s commitment to supporting the arts, the thematic advertisement portfolio focuses on the initiatives taken by various organizations and individuals working in the field of culture and visual arts, design and urban renewal. A vat of organic indigo prepared from local fruit and natural indigo. Maiwa workshop, 2011. A masterwork of woven shibori in natural indigo, by Bengal weaver Gautam Kumar Basak. Maiwa workshop, 2011. A masterwork of double ikat on silk dyed with indigo, cochineal and lac, with gold zari thread, by Shrinath Edem from Andhra Pradesh. Maiwa Textile Symposium, 2011. Lac dyeing demonstration. Maiwa workshop, 2011. Sophie Ahmed Lac-dyed woven shibori. Maiwa workshop, 2011. A masterwork from the Aranya Natural Dye Unit: a quilt to which each artisan at Aranya contributed a square of cloth. Maiwa Textile Symposium, 2011. A masterwork bandhani piece of silk tie-dyed with henna, indigo and madder, by Jabbar Khatri from Kutch. Maiwa Textile Symposium, 2011. Masterworks of traditional woven woollen shawls in lac and indigo, by Shamji Vishram Vankar, from Bhujodi village, Kutch. Maiwa Textile Symposium, 2011. A masterwork bandhani piece of silk tie-dyed with henna, indigo and madder, by Jabbar Khatri from Kutch. Maiwa Textile Symposium, 2011. From the Rasi Chakra (Horoscope) series, by Ajit Kumar Das. See caption on page 88. Marg gratefully acknowledges the support received from Goodearth, Kashmir Loom, L’affaire and SUTRA Textile Studies in the publication of this magazine wwww.marg-art.org A Magazine of the Arts Founder Editor Mulk Raj Anand General Editor Advisor Vidya Dehejia Pheroza Bilimoria Associate Editor General Manager Monisha Ahmed Radhika Sabavala Senior Executive Editor Chief Executive Manager – Finance Savita Chandiramani H.D. Hathiram Senior Editorial Executive Assistant Manager – Accounts Arnavaz K. Bhansali Usha V. Shenoy Assistant Manager – Senior Accounts Executive Data Processing Kedarnath S. Thakur Rajkumari Swamy Head – Marketing and Sales Text Editor Shernaz Vasunia Rivka Israel Senior Managers – Sales Designer Almitra Billimoria Naju Hirani Baptist Sequeira Senior Production Executive Regional Manager (East) Gautam V. Jadhav Raka Datta Assistant Manager – Marketing and Sales Mary Abraham Editorial Advisory Panel Shyam Benegal Senior Manager – Charles Correa Administration and Circulation Divyabhanusinh Asha Shiralikar Geeta Kapur Administrative Executive Kapila Vatsyayan Shyla Serrao Office Assistant This magazine is designed by Sadanand I. Salian Kirti Trivedi Senior Despatch Assistant Robert J. Mendes Despatch Assistant Ravindra K. Shewale Marg’s quarterly publications receive support from the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust – Endowment Fund Marg. A Magazine of the Arts. ISSN: 0972-1444 Annual subscription for 4 magazines: Inland: ` 1250.00 inclusive of packing and registered A.D. postage Foreign: US$ 74.00 inclusive of packing and registered air mail postage Single copy: ` 330.00 (US$ 12.00) All cheques should be crossed and payable to The Marg Foundation Marg is a registered trademark of The Marg Foundation Copyright The Marg Foundation, 2013 All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, adapted, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or translated in any language or performed or communicated to the public in any manner whatsoever, or any cinematographic film or sound recording made therefrom without the prior written permission of the copyright holders. This edition may be exported from India only by the publishers, The Marg Foundation, and by their authorized distributors and this constitutes a condition of its initial sale and its subsequent sales. Printed and published by Radhika Sabavala on behalf of The Marg Foundation and printed at Silverpoint Press Pvt. Ltd., A 403, TTC Industrial Area, Mahape, Navi Mumbai 400 709 and published at Army & Navy Building (3rd Floor), 148, M.G. Road, Mumbai 400 001, India; Editor: Savita Chandiramani, Senior Executive Editor. Processed at The Marg Foundation The Marg Foundation, Army & Navy Building (3rd Floor), 148, M.G. Road, Mumbai 400 001, India VOLUME 65 NUMBER 2 DECEMBER 2013 Colours of Nature: Dyes from the Indian Subcontinent edited by Jenny Balfour-Paul 14 Editorial Note 16 Foreword Kasturi Gupta Menon Introduction 17 Only Connect Jenny Balfour-Paul Perspectives 20 Recalculating Colour: Thomas Wardle’s