Reflection on maker practices

In their reflective commentaries, a key difference observed by the Scottish makers was a strong community of practice in rural India which integrates making into the daily routines of many rather than being a solitary pursuit.

“The time spent in Kutch was a huge contrast to the impersonal city. I had instant and continuing contact with people in their daily routines and with artists in their workspaces. It was here that I began to understand how artisan communities operate” (Lindsay Roberts, evaluation report of reSIde residency, 2013, p26)

Craft as a choice in the West and craft as a necessity in the East

The community aspect thus afforded a localisation of practice that went beyond the individual maker’s relationship to a material or idea, instead integrating wider daily routines into the object making. On the other hand, the Indian experience in Scotland was more about one’s own making as part of a self-elected group of specialists, the experience seen as a purpose and an opportunity rather than an inevitability. This is similar to having been offered a choice to practice craft in the West as opposed to a necessity and a means of survival in the East (Hare and Theophilus 2013).

“The purpose of the residency was individual development, exchange and dialogue with other residents, engagement with community, students, industry, and other artists as an opportunity to embrace the experience of living, working and learning within a different culture.”(Swati Unakar, evaluation report of reSIde residency, 2013, p29)

Image 1: People collectively setting up a warp in Kutch.

Photo courtesy of Swati Unakar

The residents elaborated on their traditions and exchanged experiences by reflecting on how interaction with others and the environment are part of practice. From an Indian perspective, the idea of local community and locality, experienced with all senses, was seen as missing from one’s context when away from home; the familiar surroundings of one’s local were equated with happiness, and weighed positively against the lure of the more prosperous global:

“I enjoyed the natural beauty of the land. I saw prosperity and meticulous infrastructure and small things made me aware of my own ‘Indianness’. In the silence, I saw an absence of people while life back home was grounded in people…people and children buzzing all around! I realised I needed that context to create. I appreciated that in India despite all the societal pressures, the

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struggle for livelihood, the dirt, the noise, the absence of infrastructure, despite all of this, one could still create, one could still make the most of things and still be happy.” (Murji Vankar, evaluation report of reSIde residency, 2013, p38)

Image 2:Swati Unakar's Banglore Studio where she has artisans working for her

Photo courtesy of Swati Unakar

This may portray a degree of appreciation in one’s own “Indianness” which resulted in identity building for the Indian partners through traditional crafts. Swati Unakar also expressed a strong link to traditional wool weaving in Kutch besides her own experimental work in the Bangalore studio.

A community of practice vs. professionalisation

Interestingly, with regard to the community of practices, Scottish makers also positively highlighted the function of making as a conversation still being alive in India, although it seems to have largely fallen prey to globalisation in an era of modern design practices. Efforts are being made to revive such local connections in contemporary practices through the same design interventions: “The women artisans in particular interested me a lot, the way they use textile as a way to meet, as a way to create and a way to communicate was incredibly inspiring” (Jeni Allison, evaluation report of reSIde residency, 2013, p44).

Apart from valuing one’s own ideologies, the residency experience also strike a chord with prevailing factors in their own culture. As Swati Unakar stated; “Eastern mentality

is strict. If you are in the Science stream you cannot take the Art stream…in the West [people] can suddenly change their lines. In India people are like blinkered horses...sometimes history can become a baggage and a burden. But after seeing Shirley [a Scottish designer-maker] I understood classicism could also be contemporised” (Personal Interview Swati Unakar, March 2013). The Indian artisan Murji, describing the same, commented:

“While [Murji’s] aesthetics were more structured and came from a common pool of the community’s design vocabulary, he felt the Scottish artists were freer in their explorations…He felt an appreciation for this freedom and…single-minded focus.” (evaluation report of reSIde residency, 2013, p37)

This indicates how design, whether in traditional or contemporary form, is realised in an Asian context. While Swati’s comment offers what is prevalent in formal education, Murji’s comment offers a community perspective on how tradition becomes restrictive once it extends to be a responsibility and a way of forming identity. Whether this was imposed by market forces, maintaining social customs or in negotiation with other makers (evaluation report of reSIde residency, 2013), it shows the tensions a traditional practitioner has when working towards contemporary work. While Swati implies tradition within ‘historicity’ and ‘classic’ where it needs to be flexibly adopted and appropriated, according to Murji, tradition is a continuing practice, which offers both prospects and limitations.

Design Education for artisans

It can also be assumed to a certain extent, that the way Murji interprets his own heritage is guided through educational institutions aimed at artisans, such as Kala Raksha Vidyala, where he is a graduate. As Murji constantly speaks of maintaining his ‘USP’ (Unique selling proposition) in his traditional extra weft weaving technique, one could argue like Frater (2002) does that he uses design language to communicate his ideas. Design education and management courses have shaped his perception on craft as one that is corresponding to market needs through new designs, while at the same time promoting his identity through the incorporation of ‘USP’ in his textiles designs is further confirmed by Kala Raksha Vidyalaya. According to them, such education helps

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in developing design concepts and flair for entrepreneurship while design education contributes to creating ‘artisan-designers’.

When analysing the reflective commentaries of the four artisans, it becomes evident that their practices changed completely during the residency. While Lindsay Roberts focused on Indigo-dying, Jeni Allison acquired a researcher role where she attempted to connect with her background on performance and theatre. She also wanted to portray a politicised view through her textile work where she tried to demonstrate the rejection of traditions and social norms of Rabari women through her minimal designs. Swati Unakar gave her attention to developing her practice on using resources that are otherwise inaccessible for her design and material experimentation, whereas Murji Vankar attempted to make ‘hybridised’ craftwork based on his traditional methods and combined with those inspirations, materials and techniques he gained and learnt during his residency. Therefore, the work, that all four practitioners produced was varied and offer insights into differing ways of interpreting and acknowledging craft and design in their own practice.

Image 3:Lindsay’s indigo dyed wall hanging pieces

Photo by author

Image 4: Jeni’s

experimental work based on Rabari costumes

Photo courtesy of Jeni Allison

Image 5:Swati’s material experiments inspired from textured surfaces

Photo by author

Image 6:Murji’s ‘hybrid’ design experiments combining twill and his own extra- weft weaving

techniques

Photo by author

The following discussion will therefore focus on how the residents expressed their views about craft and design, tradition and contemporary contexts.