Winter in India

A global studies course in Jaipur, India.

Words by Simone Solondz

Students taking a wintersession global studies course in India collaborated with artisans in Jaipur using handcrafting techniques that have been perfected over hundreds of years.

“Handcraft and gracious hospitality are both embedded in the ethos of the Indian way of life,” said textiles faculty member Joy Ko. “Students at RISD are trained to be designer, artist and maker but had to first learn how to communicate with their hosts and be good guests before collaborating with the highly skilled, multigenerational artisans they met.”

Ko and apparel design professor Catherine Andreozzi 87 AP developed and both led the course, India_Sensed, whose name became a kind of touchstone for students as their journey unfolded.

“Collaborating with people who don’t speak your language changes the way that you would normally work,” Andreozzi said. “You have to rely on other modes of expression, such as drawing and translation apps that result in laughter and dancing.”

Students worked with master Dabu mud printer Padamshree R K Derawala, jewelry designer Neelum

Narang, embroidery master Jayshree Kumavat and Badshah Mian, an expert in Lehariya resist dyeing. Access to these artisans was made possible through a partnership with Sheela Lunkad, Rajeev Lunkad and Sonal Chitranshi of New Delhi–based creative design organization DirectCreate.

Yue Zi 23 AP zeroed in on jewelry making for her final project. “My thesis revolves around my fascination with bones and skeletal forms,” Yue said. “Inspired by jewelry we saw in the Amrapali Museum, I worked with Neelum and the artisans in her studio to create delicate silver pieces to adorn the hand and highlight its skeletal structure.”

Benjamin Garbus 25 ID was particularly drawn to the patterns and structures of the historical sites the class visited on the road to Jaipur.

“The way that nature exists in combination with architecture reminded me of nature’s role in craft,” he said. “An ant crawling across drying fabric is a part of the making process, just as a monkey crawling on a roof is a part of the building. The unpredictable interaction is what makes the final product unique.”