TRADITIONAL Techniques CONTEMPORARY Narratives

Championing the cause of the handmade, several designers and brands are working alongside craftspeople to reinterpret India's traditional arts and crafts and express them through a contemporary lens. Here are a few significant collaborations that caught our eye...

- AVNI RAUT

Scales and Textures

For one of his residential projects ‘Shantiniketan House’, architect and designer Ashiesh Shah has skillfully integrated different Indian craft forms into the interiors through uniquely rendered pieces. The ‘Moonshadow Vase’ finds beauty in imperfection. Using Longpi pottery, an art form unique to the villages of Longpi Kajui and Longpi Khullen in the Ukhrul District of Manipur, it is created in collaboration with artisans who have been practising this craft for generations. The baked sculptures offer a sense of symmetry with arched forms carved out at the top and bottom. “With the Moonshadow, we pushed the boundaries of scale and technique,” says Ashiesh.

The ‘Channapatna Light’ draws upon the Channapatna craft of toy-making and was made in collaboration with master craftswoman Noor Salma. It has been envisioned as a lighting installation that is composed of naturally lacquered beads in deep red, neatly fitted into each other. “This piece challenges the boundaries of scale that the craft ascertains. Each unit is planned in a manner that it could achieve endless permutations that allow for flexibility in form, expanse and colour,” he explains.