ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This thesis has benefitted greatly from the support of many people, some of whom I would sincerely like to thank here. To begin with ,i am deeply greatful to my mentor Rajiv Parekh for his guidance and he deserves special recognition for his alaways highly competent remarks and suggestions and parlicular praise for his openness and his calm and friendly manner which allowed me to convey everything most graciously. Thank You very much ! I would also like to thank our Dean Trilochan Chhaya for being extremely supportive and encouraging . Furthermore , I would like to thank my fellow students ,for offering helpful advice .nd also my seniors especially Kesha Talati and Rohit Jain for helping me through the process of my thesis. Finally, but first in my heart ,my parents owe my deep gratitude for their continued moral support throughout my thesis ,which has made a great impact on my life .The oppurtunity of undergoing education that i was able to enjoy has proven invaluable.
CONTENT 1. SYNOPSIS 2. LIVING AMIDS HISTORY 3. TYPES OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILE INDUSTRY 4. TEXTILE - AN IMPORTANT CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC ASSET 5.CASE-STUDY - PATOLA SAREE WEAVING 6. CASE-STUDY - CHANDERI (TOWN OF LOOMS) 7.INSTITUTIONAL FRAME WORK - GOVERNMENT - PRIVATE SECTOR - NGO - OTHERS 8. CASE-STUDY - DILLI HAAT 9.MARGINALISATION OF ARTISANS 10. ARTISANS AS ARTIST V/S LABOURERS 11. TOWARDS INTERVENTION 12. PROGRAME 13. SITE STUDY 14. CONCEPT DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 15. FINAL INTERVENTION 16. DESIGN - PLANS AND SECTION 17. RENDERS
SYNOPSIS TALKING TEXTILES India is a cultural superpower. There are nearly 14 million traditional artisans who live in India and support their families by engaging themselves in various forms of crafts. After all, crafts are an important economic activity and today the second largest source of income for rural people in the country. Here are over 200 traditional art forms in India that face the same threat as tiger and great Indian hornbill—Extinction. Our glorious heritage is going to perish. But with the loss of traditional culture, we are going to lose the values of our life that our ancestors preserved. Indian arts and crafts have developed over millennia, and today not just each region, but even micro-regions have their own unique traditions. Whether it is performing arts or woodwork, metal casting or dyeing, the range is varied, and most forms have a highly developed theoretical basis, documented. The traditional cultural industry being so vast I would like to concentrate on the textile industry, as rooted to my hometown Patan, the land of Patolas (hand woven sarees). Today this art of patola weaving is being challenged as never before. They are also living traditions, which became a way of life for those involved. The current forms of economy, with their overwhelming desire to establish similar patterns in production and indeed our lives, are leaving very little space for these cultural forms, crafts and traditions to coexist. As the result, each passing moment is seeing the death of these age-old arts. As fathers encourage their children to study, and not follow the family traditions. There is a gradual and imperceptible movement towards the obliteration of these heritages, which may remain only as museum pieces. The last five-odd decades have seen gharanas end, machines replace human skill and artistry, and the artists themselves become construction
labourers. But in a vast majority of the cases, it is an entire way of life in question, and to alter that in many cases just means the end of that form. Skills are often leant and perfected over decades, and to dilute the learning process, is often a distortion that changes the form. This is not to say that there aren’t exceptions. It is almost unthinkable that a progeny of a leading artiste not take up that art form. But for the average artiste very few seem interested in ensuring that their children continue the tradition. I would like to intensify the campaign to prevent traditional folk art, craft industries and professions from extinction and would like the masses to be aware about the ancient endangered art and promote its integration with the work of other design disciples.
CASE - STUDY PATOLA WEAVING
SITE PLAN
EXIT
4.ENG AGE
2.R
I
ECR E A T ION
DR
AY W E V
3.WOR
K
SS
RENE
1.AWA DR
I
AY W E V
ENTR Y
AY
COURTYARD 1 - AWARENESS
FIRST LEVEL PLAN
SECTION AA’
COURTYARD 2 - RECREATION
GROUND LEVEL PLAN
FIRST LEVEL PLAN
SECTION BB
COURTYARD 3 - WORK SPACE
GROUND LEVEL PLAN
FIRST LEVEL PLAN
WORKSHOP SPILL OVER
SECTION CC
+8M
+3.8M
0M
STUDIO SPILL OVER
COURTYARD 4 - ENGAGE
GROUND LEVEL PLAN
FIRST LEVEL PLAN
SECTION DD’
INFO CENTER
EXHIBITION GALLERY
BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. CRAFTING LIVELIHOOH - A DASRA REPORT 2. GOVERNMENT REPORTSHANDLOOM CENSUS CHANDERI CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT TRADIDITIONAL CRAFTS OF INDIA 3. INDIAN CRAFTSMAN - BY ANAND K COOMARASWAMY 4. ART AS IDENTITY - BY NINA SABNANI 5. WEBSITESWWW. NIC.ORG WWW. CRAFTSOFINDIA.COM WWW.SHRUJAN TRUST.COM