Crafting a new future – Lakshmi Venkatraman, THE HINDU

Most of the scholars working in the field of various crafts, who took part in a seminar titled ‘Maker and Meaning : Craft and Society’ 20 years ago, returned to present papers on the status of the crafts and crafts people due to changes in the country at another seminar by the same title organised by DakshinaChitra, Chennai, recently.

Dr. Stephen Inglis, Carleton University, Canada had undertaken research in the 70s and 80s in South Tamil Nadu on the process of making pottery; but due to the waning interest in pottery, the potters have been finding it difficult to cope with the situation.

Sindhura DM, co-director, ‘Jackfruit’, explained in ‘Mapping the practices of hereditary potters in India’ how hereditary practices have been followed by the potters along with development of designs and the different kinds of practices through a range of techniques known in India in ceramicware.

Independent curator and consultant Dr. Susan Bean’s, ‘The Rise of People’s Art: The Craft of Raw Clay Sculpture in 21st-Century Bengal’ focused on the contemporary successes and failures of unfired raw clay sculptures of Bengal. Though not accepted as art nor craft earlier, the last two decades have seen great strides with stress on innovation. Young modelers from art schools are sought after for designing Durga puja pandals by organisers. Yet many modelers are still fighting poverty.

Ayyanar horses and elephant statues

‘From Kondagaon to Delhi and the U.K.: Revisiting Brass casting in Bastar’, presentation by Dr. Katherine Hacker, University of British Colombia of Canada, focused on the work of Bhupendra Baghel, popular brass cast artist of Bastar, Chattisgarh. In 2016 commissioned to create two sculptures for an exhibition at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, he made life size ‘Adivasi Mata’ and ‘Colonial Encounter’, stressing the Adivasi identity. This commission could lead to exploring the future of Bastar’s crafts people.

The textile tradition of Ladakh, situated in the high reaches of the mountain ranges of Himalayas and Karakoram, is quite varied reflecting its physical, socio-economic and cultural ethos. Dr. Monisha Ahmed, executive director, Ladakh Arts and Media Organisation (LAMO) speaking on ‘Weaving in Ladakh – Continuity and Change’ said both imported textiles and the local wool and pashmina are used. Introduced in the 40s by Moravian Missionaries and later by Govt. agencies and NGOs, changes and transformation of the weaving tradition and adjustments are required to ensure its continuity with young fashion designers now introducing new vocabularies.

‘Developing craft industry at capital Tokyo in pre-modern ages: A look at selected craft talking today’ by Akie Kawagoe, Bunkyo Gakuin University, Japan dealt with a historical analysis of the evolution of the craft industry and the development of production in and around Tokyo, when it became the capital of Japan. The imported striped cotton fabric from India became a rage, she said.

Visalakshi Ramaswamy’s M.Rm.Rm. Foundation has been involved in preserving and reviving the craftpersons’ interest in Chettinad’s basketry craft. Presenting ‘Sustainable intervention in Craft Revival and livelihood generation; A case study of the Kottan, the traditional basketry of Chettinadu’ she said new designs and selling them in Chennai ensure for them a reliable source of income and development of their community.

Speaking on ‘Maker, Meaning and Modernity: The case of the Visvakarmas’, Dr. Jan Brouwer, Centre for Advanced Research on Indigenous Knowledge Systems, said understanding India’s scriptural tradition and traditional practices along with its modern state is essential to realise the craftspersons’ response to them. The impact of outside factors affect the structure of Viswakarma caste and how it handles these changes.

The presentation of Dr. Helle Bundgaard, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, was in the unusual form of a story titled ‘The Book’. A sketch book by a pattachitra artist from Orissa in the 1970s provides the central theme of the story making one ponder the important role played by awards on the lives of crafts people. Executive director, National Archives of the Philippines, Victorino M. Manalo’s paper was on Botong Francisco, Painter and community.

Carlos Francisco (1912 to 1969) fondly referred to as ‘Botong’ was the National Artist for Visual Arts of Angono town, known for its artists and colourful festivals. He was labeled as country painter for never leaving Angono, discrediting his interest in community festivals and art works in the neighbourhood, which led him to develop his own style of painting.

Ritu Sethi, chairperson, Craft Revival Trust, presented ‘Kantha embroiderers: Heritage, disruptions and contestations’, dwelling on the domestic textile tradition with a long history of the undivided Bengal being disrupted in the form and practice of the quilted and embroidered Kantha and what caused it, through analysing the craft’s history and recent reportage.

Laila Tyabji, chairperson, Dastkaar presented ‘In the Market place and society – Being a 21st Century Indian Craftsperson’. Handicrafts and handloom are indisputable part of our culture and economy. Themselves not realising their potential, it is imperative to work towards their livelihood and the craft’s sustenance

Ashoke Chatterjee, advisor, Centre for Heritage Management, shared his experience on ‘Advocating the Creative Economy: India’s experience with the economics of craft industries’. With waning interest in recent years in crafts, which is the second largest source of livelihood after agriculture, the decision makers need to pay heed to the situation. With a dependable data-base network, new partners at a global and national level in a campaign could provide new lessons.

Edric Ong, president, Society Atelier Sarawak, East Malaysia, spoke on “Indigenous design of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo”. The paper by Judy Frater, founder-director of Somaiya Kala Vidyalaya, an institute of education for artisans was on ‘Education for Artisans: A Sustainable Future for Craft Tradition