TERRACOTTA
ACKNOWLEDGMENT We would like to express our gratitude to all those who helped us to make this documentation possible. We would like to thank National Institute of Fashion Technology for giving us this wonderful opportunity to study the famous and rich craft Terracotta. We would specially like to thank our guide Dr. Hir Vyas, who supervised and guided us throughout the process. We are greatly obliged to the team of artists, who answered innumerable queries with utmost patience, helped us out in every possible way and shared their wealth of knowledge with us. We are grateful for their co-operation, time and patience during the period of our field visit. In the end we would like to thank our families and friends for their constant support and encouragement.
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PREFACE India is a vast country, with every region having won their share of crafts and tradition. However, many of them have been neglected for years now and the wrath of time has slowly started taking a total of these crafts. One such cluster, which has been present for ages, which has started to succumb to the present scenario is Terracotta. The terracotta craft here are unique to the region. Years ago there were more than 15 – 20 artisans existing her. But today, a time has evolved and nothing has remained like it was earlier.
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CONTENTS
• • • • •
Map of Gujarat The shore of Terracotta tales A tour into the past Stories from hands of the creators The journey of making Introduction to raw materials All about tools The process Products
• Around the Globe • Audience poll
9 12 16 22 28 30 32 35 39 42 46
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We awake to morning sounds Of pavements washing down Everyone’s a trader In this terracotta town Wander through the winding streets Drink in sights and sounds A trader or an artist In this terracotta town Time to find a slice of shade Siesta hour has come around All is quiet, all is still In this little tourist town The waiters they are waiting No-one wears a frown Everybody holds a stake In this their terracotta town The fishermen are coming in The sun is going down We hold onto a painted pebble To remind us of the peace we found. - Martin Goldsack
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MAP OF GUJARAT
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A SHORE OF TERRACOTTA TALES Beholds stories of the birth place of Terracotta
A SHORE OF TERRACOTTA TALES
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oday’s world is a ground which takes us along the growing technologies and developments. The entire world is on a race to secure their careers and to assure luxurious comforts. Between this strenuous phase of life, is when one would want to go back to an era of the innovation and discovery of wellknown crafts. Today, we shall take you on a journey of the craft: Terracotta. The traditional craft practices of terracotta in India are embedded with an inherent empirical knowledge. This not only encompasses the material knowledge and skills of making, but also holds a holistic and intuitive understanding of sustainability in the larger context.
God, how we get our fingers in each other’s clay. Thats friendship, each playing the potter to see what shapes we can make of each other.
Terracotta has been around for a long, long time. The word “terracotta” comes from the Italian words for “baked earth.” It is the art of making products from clay. Terracotta art in India is considered mystical because it incorporates within the five vital elements like air, water, earth, fire, and ether. It is an intrinsic craft form valued and treasured across various communities all over India, especially in Gujarat. Pottery in Indian villages is one of the most ancient and popular art forms. It has been in existence since the Indus Valley civilization and it is still positively practices all over India. It is a part of the earliest skills known to Indians.
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A TOUR INTO THE PAST Stories of the evolution Stories of the beginning
A TOUR INTO THE PAST People thought when the emperor died, he took just a lot of pottery army soldiers with him. Now they realised he took a whole political system with him.
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erhaps one of the most spectacular terracotta creations ever is the famous Terracotta Army. Also known as the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, the Terracotta Army is a massive collection of terracott sculptures that represent the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. Hence it is safe to say that it is indeed the “Pride of the Chinese empire.” The Terracotta Army was discovered in 1974 by local farmers in China. It consists of over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots, 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses buried in three large pits. This “army” was buried with the emperor around 210 B.C. The emperor believed his Terracotta Army would protect him in the afterlife and be a group of people he could continue to rule over.
Terracotta has been around for a long, long time. Infact, it was the only clay product used until around the 14th century. Archeologists have found terracotta sculptures that are approximately 5,000 years old. IN INDIA: Indian sculptures made heavy use of terracotta from a very early period (with stone and metal sculptures being rather rear), and in most sophisticated areas it had largely been abandoned. This allows relatively large figures, nearly up to life size, to be made, especially in the Gupta period and the centuries immediately following it. Several vigorous local popular traditions of terracotta folk sculpture remain active today, such as Bankura horses.
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STORIES FROM HANDS OF THE CREATORS Stories from the homes where the soul speaks
The artisan is one of the most important type of role in essence. Artisans have a natural talent for creative expression, bringing to life new and original ideas. Their souls have an active and agile imagination that drives them to explore new forms and try out novel perspectives. They continually perceive alternative ways of constructing reality and seek to realize their ideas in tangible forms. In terms of their facial appearance, artisans tend to have heart-shaped, almost child-like faces with soft, droopy, dreamy-looking eyes and an intrigued expression. On our journey, we met a couple of artisans with just the same qualities.
STORIES FROM HANDS OF THE CREATORS
We as a family may not have it all together, but together, we certainly have it all.
PRAJAPATI FAMILY Lalabhai and Ashaben work in the field of making terracotta since 10 years. They started off with making only matkas but later developed as a family. Today, they are known for making all the terracotta products including pots, sculptures, candle stands, show pieces, utensils, etc. Lalabhai has a younger brother named Rajeshbhai and his wife’s name is Suryaben. The family is originated in Rajasthan. Their parents, Baldevbhai and Bhikhiben shifted to Adalaj in 1996. After that, the family of 10 started creating terracotta products. Both the brothers are passionate and hardworking towards their work. For them, family isn’t an important thing. It is everything. The elder brother has one kid – Parth while the younger one has three kids – Nikul, Priyanka and Ashish.
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Although initially they designed their products on their own, they have now trained their labourers due to a lot of orders and workload. ACHIEVEMENTS: Prajapati family has been working towards their since years. They successfully organized exhibitions Surat, Vadodara, Hydrabad, Mumbai Vishakhapatnam. They receive orders all over India and strive to achieve a lot from all over the world.
hard have in and from more
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THE JOURNEY OF MAKING From birth to its present form
INTRODUCTION TO RAW MATERIALS
The raw materials for the craft is clay. Red soil, black stones- which are used to make natural colors are other important raw materials. The potter acquires the clay from a section of sea bed when the water recedes. The scale of production and working hours depend upon the season. If there is a festival nearby, the potter can use approximately 100 kilo grams of clay in a day. The most important feature in the production of is the co-operation of the families and the active involvement of woman in the process. Pottery is a very skillful job which needs a lot of patience and focus. In the word of the potter Prajapati, “the clay has to listen to the potter”. Some potters of the village still have firing pits instead of “KILN”. Firing pits needed firewood to create the fire. Thus fire wood is also an important raw material for pottery making.
ALL ABOUT TOOLS 32
ELECTRIC WHEEL- the clay is made into various shapes of pots. With the help of a wheel. In the earlier times, stone wheels were rotated manually using long wooden rods. Later, wooden wheels were introduced and currently the potters have gained access to electric wheel which reduces much of the human effort.
TRIMMING AND SHAPING TOOLS- there are many kinds of tools used to trim and shape the clay. It is mostly used in making hands on products. The shaping tools are wooden rods with smooth, curved or pointed edges.
KUNERO AND TIPLO- these are the tools used in tapping process. “KUNERO” is made of stone and is used to support the inner side of the pot and “TIPLO” is the wooden bat used to type the pot from the outside.
BAMBOO BRUSHES- the women use made of bamboo sticks for painting pot. Unlike the normal painting bamboo brushes make bold lines. brushes give a better grip on the round surface.
brushes on the brushes, Bamboo
KILN OR FIRING PIT- this is the last stage of the process. KILN is the process of baking the pots after they have been painted. Similarly firing pit is a mechanism for the same. The advantage of using KILN is that it bakes faster compared to a pit.
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THE PROCESS
PREPARATION OF CLAY The clay used for making products is basically in the form of rock. These rocks are grinded into small partickles. It is then soaked in water for sometime so that it looses its hardness. These particles are then grinded again in the machine to get the powder form . In proper proportion, the water is added and is mixed properly with bare hands. This dough og clay is then wrapped up in a jute bag as it removes excessive water from the dough and aslo helos the clay to remain wet and aoud cracks. Round clay balls are made as per the requirement to make the products on wheel.
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EARTHEN POTS 1. Preparation : Clay is prepared 2. Process : the basic form of the product I drawn on the wheel. It is beaten up to make the final form. It is dired till the color of the terracotta turns white. This happens as the water evaporates and the clay strengthens. 3. Additional hardware : For certain pots if the taps are to be attached the holes are made when the pots are in the drying process 4.Decoration - They are painted using the brishes made by them with the gheru and colors made from white and black stone. 5. Finishing – Firing is done to get the final product. The process of making remains more or less same for all different kinds of products except the modifications in the forms, cut outs, additions, textures and paintings done on it. Techniques don’t chane, although some tools are modified and are used depending on the type of design.
PRODUCTS The terracotta craftman are diversifying their craft to innovative products that beautifully bring out the fusion of From modern looking Terracotta jewelery to home decor art and terracotta lamps.There are alot of other products gaining popoularity.
produce noble and the old wihtin you. like table top wall that are increasingly
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AROUND THE GLOBE Terracotta in the contemporary world
SHoP creates installation Over 1,500 terracotta blocks were intricately carved and stacked to create this installation in Milan, which SHoP architects hoped would provide visitors with a moment of solace.The Wave/Cave installation was designed by the New York-based firm for Interni Magazine’s Material Immaterial exhibition. Made up of an assemblage of 1,670 terracotta blocks, the installation stands at 10 metres high at its tallest point. Each block has been individually carved, and while they appear plain on the outside – the inside of the installation reveals an intricate pattern. At night, the installation softly glows from its centre, with light illuminating the gaps in the blocks. SHoP principle William Sharples said the installation was a reaction to current architectural industry practices, and he hopes that it will bring visitors a moment of peace and calmness.
Of carats and clay
Bindhu Mathai intersperses uncut diamonds with baked baubles with nonchalance, and the results are surprisingly good. “I was also taken aback when I first started upcycling old pieces,” she says, reminiscing how garish gold pendants suddenly assumed a veneer of sophistication when they hobnobbed with muted terracotta. She still makes stunning terracotta neck pieces, earrings, bracelets and anklets — but there is a difference. Gold, silver, pearls, precious and semi-precious stones find expression in her creations. Antique silver jewellery got edgy and Aakaar began to be seen in weddings and Page 3 parties.
Some of Mathai’s best work has been with jewellery she has picked up at the unlikeliest places like this beautiful ruby, diamond and emerald pendant which she found at an antique furniture shop. She strung it with terracotta gopis on either side, and it looks unusual.
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AUDIENCE POLL The survey
Following is the outcome of a small sur vey we conducted related to the awareness and preference of terracotta products among the general public.
37%
63%
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Compiled by: Abivandya Anil Ambarisha Vemu Bhakti Kapadia Drishti Ghanshani Priyanshi Brahmbhatt Vidhi Sabnani 50