South Asia
Enjoy stories from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Omar Mansoor ✿ Meluhas - Omar Mansoor's "Meluhas" collection, inspired by ancient pottery, was produced in collaboration with Kaarvan Crafts Foundation
My relationship with the earth - LOkesh Ghai reflects on the noble vocation of Ramesh Kumar Gangoli, who helps those who could otherwise not walk on this earth.
Heart of Parijat - Ranjith Sivaraman shares his poem inspired by Tanya Dutt's recounting of the romantic myth of the coral jasmine flower.
Vakr ✿ A fluid touch - Devyani Gupta's furniture morphs into curved forms that tell ancient stories.
The Song of the actinomycetes - Priyanka Jain sings about microbes in medieval Indian miniature paintings of a love that is triggered by the smell of rain.
The rose perfumers of Kannauj - Dwan Kaoukji tracks the production of the most exquisite floral scent from the perfumeries of Kuwait to the traditional distillers of Uttar Pradesh
A manifesto for craft in space design - Join our Reinventing the Wheel series for a focus on the value of Indian craft, featuring a manifesto of the Indian Institute of Interior Designers
Lavina Baldota on curating Sutr Santati - We speak with Lavina Baldota about the epic curation of Sutr Santati, an exhibition of contemporary Indian textiles celebrating 75 years of independence.
Who owns craft knowledge? - As part of our Reinventing the Wheel series, Annapurna Mamidipudi introduces a new publication that questions the formalisation of craft knowledge.
The Outback through Afghan eyes - Jahan Rezakhanlou writes about the painting and poetry of Hazara artist Elyas Alavi as an estuary that connects the experience of Afghan cameleers with Indigenous Australians.
Fold craft: Uncovering the Nivi sari - In our Reinventing the Wheel series, Kaamya Sharma reflects on the emergence of the Nivi sari as a national dress and how it demonstrates the craft of using as well as making.
Silk thangka: An unbroken thread - Gary Wornell journeys to the Pullahari Gumba Monastery hoping to find Nurbu, whose life is dedicated to the tradition of sacred Buddhist imagery in luscious silk.
The year of the lotus - Toolika Gupta introduces the lotus motif as a guide to Garland's journey in its seventh year.
A Kolam for Washington DC - Shanthi Chandrasekar tracks the memories of Kolam adornment rituals that now inspire a homage to the US Vice-President.
The forest on my flesh - Priyanka Jain draws on ancient Sanskrit poetry and Indian miniatures to reflect a contemporary appreciation of our microbial desires.
Kumarisari ✿ Buy forward fashion - We learn the thinking behind an innovative approach to India's vibrant market in saris, applying circular economy principles.
Kashmiriyat: Craft out of conflict - Harpreet Padam ventures to Kashmir for craft development, but finds the conflict difficult to ignore. He works with local artisans to develop papier maché objects that reflect their daily life.
Asif Shaikh and Aziz Murtazaev ✿ A dialogue of print and stitch - Our October laurel goes to Our October laurel goes to an eloquent collaboration between Indian embroiderer Asif Shaik and Uzbek ikat maker Aziz Murtazaev.an eloquent collaboration between Indian embroider Asif Shaik and Uzbek ikat maker Aziz Murtazaev.
Chikankari: The gift of health - Jaspal Kalra's scholarship leads him back to Lucknow where he celebrates those who add delight to our new masked identities.
Pashmina: A perennial luxury - Khushbu Mathur reflects on the enduring appeal of the Kashmiri shawls made from the wool of the Himalayan Ibex.
Sreenivasulu ✿ A pen-ultimate world - Sreenivasulu is an Indian software engineer who combines classical dance with recreations of the world's architecture made from used felt pens.
India Craft Week live 1-3 May - Garland supports Craft Village in its India Craft Week online forum 1-3 May 2020, covering the breadth of the nation's impressive crafts.
Bakhiya: The beauty of the imperfect - Bakhiya is not just a form of sewing with long stitches. It also offers a sufi meditation on the beauty of the imperfect and fragility of life, as reflected in these poignant works at Threshold Art Gallery, Delhi.
The power of wedding adornments - Khushbu Mathur itemises the rituals and adornments of a Hindu wedding, showing how love is exchanged through conduits of auspiciousness.
Adil Writer ✿ Clay dreams of love - Adil Writer presents a series of figures that evoke the fraught condition of love for the Parsi community specifically and India generally.
A kirpan for bride power - Eina Ahluwalia reflects on the impact of her Wedding Vows collection that presented a powerful response to violence against women.
उपहार – Uphaar - “Uphaar” is a Hindi word for offering or gift or any service done by heart for someone. How can objects bring us closer together?
Safed: The beauty of simplicity - Sayali Goyal responds to questions about her project featuring handwoven textiles from across Indian in their raw beauty.
Saga Dawa: The blessing of the scriptures - Shruti Agrawal fulfils her father-in-law’s dream to visit the fabled Himalayan town of Gangtok, where she witnesses a remarkable Buddhist rite that brings life to sacred wisdom.
Primal Casting: From the outdoor studio - Sarra Tzijan recounts the journey to India that led to her work based on traditional Indian casting techniques, made during a residency in Devrai Art Village, Panchgani.
Responsible crafts tourism in Kutch - Ruth Clifford shares her advice about key issues in visiting craftspersons and offers a variety of alternative models for experiencing their remarkable skills.
The angels of Dhadhampatti - Julia Raath visits the Tamil Nadu village of Sittilingi and is inspired to help them bring vibrant colours to far away lands.
Sundar Sari: A reverie of past loves - As part of Border&Fall’s exploration of the sari as a form of embodied culture, Pooja Kaul has produced a poetic film, Sundar Sari, that reflects the way this garment holds memories.
Deepawali: A row of lights around the world - Deepawali, Deepavali, or Diwali is the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. It is the festival of lights: deep means "light" and avali "a row" to become "a row of lights."
Shilp Shakti: A legacy midst crisis & opportunity - Ashoke Chatterjee champions craft as a vital part of Indian society and economy at an event to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Visva Bharati, the university founded by Rabindranath Tagore in Santiniketan.
Fresco comes to the mountain - Sarah Tomasetti has transplanted the Italian technique of fresco to create works that honour the mountains that help us find a place in the world.
Glimpses of the first Indian Ceramics Triennale - We're excited to herald an important new event in our orbit of craft and design in the Indo-Pacific. The first Indian Ceramics Triennale: Breaking Ground is open in Jaipur from 31 August to 18 November 2018.
Katna’s Kantha: Stitching a future - This December, Katna’s Kantha by Street Survivors India will make their debut at ARTISANS’ with a collection of quilts, saris, dupattas and stoles in silk and cotton.The Street Survivors India project was founded by Shabnam Ramaswamy in Murshidabad in 2004 and employs 1500 women in 50 villages. At 19, Shabnam escaped domestic violence, living in […]
Godh: in the lap of nature - Mandy Ridley shares her experience collaborating with Indian designers and folk artists for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
Narrative design – Learnings from India - Following issue #5 of Garland magazine, a series of events in India brought experts together to reflect on the role of storytelling in craft practice today. There was special interest in the role of new media, such as video, websites and e-commerce in offering space for narrative development. We learnt that the “story” was often […]
A labour of love: The Humnawa Project - Sahr Bashir travels 12 hours by bus to the Pakistani village deep in the Punjab region to "burst the urban bubble" and understand how design is not just about glamour but is also a matter of "real world" problem solving.
New Homes for Old Stories – Symposium/workshop in Mumbai, 5 February - A symposium/workshop, 5 February 2017, 3-6pm Artisans Gallery, Mumbai To coincide with issue #5 of Garland magazine, a discussion and workshop will be conducted on the nature of storytelling through objects. This will involve a review of the traditional stories attached to objects and the new platforms emerging in e-commerce. The challenge is to find […]
Issue #5 – @India - Thanks to your support, the first Garland was launched exactly a year ago today. We hope you’ve enjoyed the journey thus far. Now we venture to India with a feast of articles to engage your eye and mind.The centrepiece is a quarterly essay about Sandra Bowkett by our new laureate Andrew Stephens, which explores how a […]
E-commerce: what is gained and lost when artisans sell online - By contrast with the retail story, e-commerce promises to convey more of the stories of the handmade objects on sale. Aerospace engineer David Moorhead looks critically at its benefits for the craftsperson. This articles includees an outline of recent platforms for evaluation.
New homes for old stories - “Durvásas was wandering over the earth, when he beheld, in the hands of a nymph of air, a garland of flowers culled from the trees of heaven, the fragrant odour of which spread throughout the forest, and enraptured all who dwelt beneath its shade.” Vishnu Purana Book 9 As the story goes, Durvásas gave this […]
The kaavad: from devotion to decoration - For Ishan Khosla, ventures forth to revive the traditional storytelling device known as the kaavad. Does it still serve its original purpose as a form of religious worship? The kaavad that results from this quest tells the story of its own evolution from sacred to social.
The world in a chai cup: Sandra Bowkett and a village of Indian potters - Andrew Stephens visits Sandra Bowkett's studio in the central Victorian town of Tallarook and learns about her life-long connection to an Indian potter's village within Delhi. Despite the economic and cultural gulf between the two places, he finds a compelling dialogue about the elemental forces of our world.
Made in Mumbai - Fiona Caulfield's iconic Love Travel Guides cover the authentic experiences and innovative outfits in today's India. Here she shares her pick of what Mumbai has to offer.
Form follows dysfunction - Arshad Faruqui and Sadia Salim created work for an exhibition of Koel Gallery, Pakistan, October 2016. Their objects transformed traditional forms into dysfunctional things in order to tell a political story.
Sky’s the limit: The Cultural Textiles Rug Project - Liz Williamson describes an ongoing exchange with rug block printers in Gujarat who are commissioned to produce designs from Australia. The results show a wide-eyed view of India, such as kites in the skies over Ahmedabad.
Spinning a Yarn Unparalleled - Gopika Nath reviews Saiful Islam's history of muslin. She finds it a compelling and epic account of the extraordinary skill involved in this lightest of textiles, as well as a tragic tale of the damage that came with British colonisation.
The kediyun: A slow turn for fast fashion - Intrigued by the kediyun, a Rabari traditional upper garment, LOkesh Ghai apprentices himself to a traditional tailor. Along the way, he learns an important lesson for contemporary fashion.
Indian dirt - In Issue #3, we featured Clare Kennedy as a case study for the Apprenticeship exhibition at Artisan Gallery. She wrote about going to India to study the changing brick industry—"It is a story worth telling". She shares with us now the remarkable discoveries of that trip.
Letting go design in Dharavi - Trent Jansen ventured into the Mumbai "slum" named Dharavi to collaborate with makers in the spirit of jugaad—the Indian ethic of "make do". To finish the job, everyone finds that they have to "let go".
Is Gandhi still alive? A journey to Surkhama - A young craft writer wonders where the spirit of Gandhi might be found in India today. Tanya Dutt hears of a remote village named Surkhama renowned for its handwoven rugs. Will Gandhi be there?
The rare art of Mumbai’s Parsis - Priyanka Kochar uncovers the rare embroidery of Mumbai's Parsis. She finds a combination of Persian and Chinese influence in the textiles of this declining yet powerful ethnic group.
Craft classic: New moves for the old sari - Border&Fall is a fresh force in Indian craft and design. This Bangalore agency has initiated a number of programs to promote the handmade to a new generation of consumers and users. We hear from its founder Malika Verma Kashyap aboout the recently crowd-funded How to Drape Film Series, which will promote this traditional dress by documenting 84 ways in which it can be worn.
Next generation patua: The Handmade Tales project - Medhavi Gandhi shares recent initiatives to revive Indian storytelling traditions. Handmade Tales gathers stories of the craft objects that are treasured in Indian homes. And Folk Fables developed workshops for children to teach them these traditional techniques. As she says, "We believe that to know your future, you must know your past."
Patua storytelling today - Sunaina Suneja writes about her homage to Gandhi in her curated exhibition, Bapu: The Craftperson’s Vision. A highlight is the patua scrolls of Rani, representing a key Indian storytelling tradition.
Launch of Garland #5 – Trading Tales in India - India has some wonderful traditions for telling stories through objects. The December issue of Garland magazine features these along with their contemporary versions in e-commerce and a profile of the vibrant scene around Mumbai and Western India.
Trading tales – call for works - The upcoming December issue of Garland features an online exhibition of objects that tell stories. Artists are invited to submit images of works that fit this theme. This is an opportunity to not only promote work across the broader Asia Pacific but also to compare the creative ways in which we can enable objects to tell tales.
The next Taj Mahal? - The Taj Mahal remains today as a testament to the extraordinary beauty of Persian design and craftsmanship. The skills that produced this in the seventeenth century are very much alive in Iran today.
The fragrant myth of Parijat - Our special garland for #3 With Nature was devised by Tanya Dutt, who swapped an Indian summer for a bone-chilling Melbourne winter to help produce this issue.
Remembering Kamaladevi - Jasleen Dhamija presents a eulogy for Kamaladevi Chattopadhay, who was instrumental in tying a craft revival to India's independence struggle. She went on to help established the World Crafts Council and provide inspiration for craftspersons globally.
Nature craft - The traditional story of craft as an art of civilisation involves controlling nature. Fibre is spun, wood is carved, metal is cast, glass is blown and clay is thrown. Making seems to involve an improvement in the otherwise formless quality of materials found in the environment. Natural substances are mastered in order to manipulate them into forms of useful beauty.
Crafts in Interior Architecture: India, 1990 Onwards, by Rishav Jain - For many years. Rishav Jain has been researching the contribution of craft practice to interior architecture in India. While most attention is given to the object as the product of craft processes, in India there is a living tradition of craft skills in the fashioning of interior spaces. The repertoire of skills that can be […]
Hangout with Gopika Nath - Through art collecting, tourism and gift giving, precious handmade objects move around our world. To help tell the stories behind these objects, Garland brings together leading voices from our region.
A map for the embroidered garden - Gopika Nath's essay draws on a lifetime of learning in the enduring power of craft. Here's a quick guide to some major influences in her essay.
Rethinking scale: Craft traditions in the contemporary market – by Judy Frater - The talk at Santa Fe International Folk Market was of "scaling up" craft production. Judy Frater considers whether the unique value of craft can be sustained with increased production. As an alternative, she proposes ways of adding value, such as improved design, a network of venues that support fine craft and advocates in media, museums and galleries.
Crafting Gujarati Tradition into the Future by Hannah Robertson - The National Craft Fair 2016, held in Ahmedabad – the cultural hub of Gujarat from 17th to 23rd January 2016, provides a platform to engage both the public through live demonstrations and stalls and the craftspeople themselves in a seminar and craft database registration. Upon entering the fairgrounds you are cast into an epic bazaar style arrangement complete with vibrantly decorated tents, traditional horns and drum music and people dressed in colourful folk costume.
The Bolga basket: Ahmedabad comes to Accra - The purpose of the initiative is to adapt sensitively basket-making traditions, practices and challenges facing Africa’s women basket weavers, through drawing on the experience and knowledge of India’s traditional craft and highly developed design sectors.
Craft ethics: Finding a moral compass in a harsh terrain, by Ashoke Chatterjee - News has gone around the world of this spectacular V&A display of textiles from the subcontinent. Among the exhibits are examples of contemporary design that demonstrate the vitality of crafts that reflect today’s aspirations. Controversy has emerged on a particular exhibit. It draws on an Ajrakh past, reflecting a leading designer’s effort at innovation using contemporary design and non-traditional production.
Happy Vasant Panchami - Garland magazine is very pleased to share this harvest celebration with some tips about how to enjoy the Vasant Panchami festival.
Indian fashion for the Aussie sadhu - Here’s a fashion trend to embrace – an Indian designer using Australian wool (the Australian beard is an optional extra). India’s Suketdhir weaves design magic to win Woolmark Prize
FRACTURE – show on textiles at the Devi Art Foundation - Between January and May 2015, The Devi Art Foundation in Gurgaon hosted an important exhibition of textiles FRACTURE, which featured some monumental works demonstrating the creative power of Indian craft and art. Co-curator Mayank Mansingh Kaul describes five of the works.