The 17th-century English explorer Edward Terry wrote of his visit to India: “The natives there show great ingenuity in their silks, as in their silk goods, which they weave most artificially.” are, some mixed very neatly with silver or gold or both. …”
It’s the lustrous, lustrous, lustrous “silk material” that is the subject of a dazzling exhibition this month at the National Crafts Museum and Handicraft Academy in New Delhi. Vayan – The Art of Indian Brocades is the second in a series of small but significant textile exhibitions curated by Mayank Mansingh Kaul for the Devi Foundation in association with the National Crafts Museum. The exhibits are drawn from both of his collections, widely representing the period from the 19th century to the present.
Mayank Mansingh Kaul
Entering the exhibition, your eyes adjust to a deep black void, from which bright spots of dazzling color gradually emerge. Each of the six sections highlights different weaving styles from across the country, linked by common visual, aesthetic and technical characteristics – Banaras, of course, and Kanjeevaram, but also textiles from Gujarat, Maharashtra and central India.
many pieces are saree or Odhnis with ornate decorations Pallava and strong, deep colors – red, magenta, orange – and broad, patterned gold-edged borders. Stylish paisley, as end pieces and as embellishments Konia The corners are a recurring feature, as are the trailing floral arabesques and stylized roses and poppies. brocades using intricate hand-weaving techniques, such as luxurious samites, lampas and velvets, as well as lighter chanderis and tissues, and now extinct Gethwa Ingeniously designed by Varanasi-based technocrat Reha Sodhi, one of the highlights of this exhibition is that, despite the relatively small space, each exhibit can be viewed in isolation, and therefore has its own dramatic effect.
I was delighted to see a celebration of my favourite, but lesser-known, Paithani and Asavalli sarees: their faded golds, tawny pinks, mulberry and olive greens so subtle in both color and pattern. The exhibition features some striking contemporary pieces with more abstract, bold designs, such as those inspired by pop art gyasershowing the range and versatility of the medium.
View of the exhibition of Wayan – The Art of Indian Brocade | Photo Credit: Devi Art Foundation
enjoy ‘little dreams’
The name ‘Wayan’ is from Hindi, referring to the art of weaving. Brocade known since ancient times in India was called Deer or cloth of gold in Vedic literature, while in the Gupta period it was known as flower leafOr cloth with woven flowers. kimkhab There is another word, derived from Persian, which is still often used for Indian brocade. It has a poetic double meaning – “a little dream” and “knitted flower” – both suggestive of its intricate, dreamy, often floral, patterns.
silk and zari Yardage designed by Manish Arora, and woven by Hashim Mohammed in Varanasi (2007) Photo Credit: Devi Art Foundation
These extraordinary Indian brocades, woven with silk and gold or silver threads, are characterized by their raised floral or motif motifs and designs, which are introduced during weaving through the additional warp process. This was traditionally done by a nimble-fingered young boy, until Joseph Marie Jacquard’s looms and punchcards replaced them in the early 19th century. However, in India the old ways co-existed for a very long time.
Textile techniques came to us from all over the world to be transformed by the bountiful magic of India into our own distinctive indigenous traditions. Silk originally came to India from China; Chinese rulers prohibited the export of silkworms, but they were smuggled in by Chinese Buddhist monks in hollow cane sticks (so the story goes). India is now the second largest silk producer in the world, although China is still in the lead.
a silk and zari Nineteenth century blouse with a complementary plain weave | Photo Credit: Devi Art Foundation
This ancient rivalry has echoes in the 21st century. At present, the custodians of India’s craft traditions are opposed to the Chinese usurpation of many of our traditional skills. There was an outcry when South Indian silk weavers were taken to China to teach Chinese weavers to weave Kanjivaram sarees, and India is flooded with shiny, shoddy but cheap Chinese silk yarn while we neglect the cultivation of our own mulberry silk. We do.
drama beyond knitting
Each piece of Wayan displays different aspects of brocade. It can be crisp and metallically lustrous, or exceptionally sensuous, flowing with a soft and softly lustrous sheen. The encyclopedic explanation for silk’s characteristics—”the shimmer for which it is prized comes from the triangular prism-like structure of the fiber, which allows the silk fabric to refract incoming light at different angles”—explains its allure exactly does not express.
In the exhibition, a glass case with a bolt of brocade tissue draped into soft, iridescent folds captures that magic beautifully, as does a three-dimensional installation at the exhibition’s midpoint (artist Aastha in collaboration with Raw Mango Butel) illustrates its drama.
7 Yokings of Felicity Installation – Artist Aastha Butail in collaboration with Raw Mango | Photo Credit: Anuj Arora
The skill of weaving these garments is very alive; Nor are the exhibits rare archival items. As I walked around, muffled voices mentioned a similar piece in a wedding dowry, or inherited from a grandmother. So, just as brocade silk flows and shimmers delicately and yet maintains a tensile strength, the Wayan, too, is not just a decorative window to a lost cultural and aesthetic past; It is a door that could open to a future of exciting new design in both fashion and craft.
On view till 19 February at the National Crafts Museum and Academy of Handicrafts, New Delhi.
The author is the President-Founder Member of Dastkar Society for Crafts and Craftspeople.