The Hindu : New Delhi News : Exciting visuals through vibrant hand-block prints

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 02, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Exciting visuals through vibrant hand-block prints

SARI VISUALISER: Shashiv Chandran of Utsav.

Celebrating the Indian tradition of colours, a three-day exhibition of special handloom weaves opens at the World Wide Fund for Nature auditorium in Delhi's Lodhi Estate this coming Monday.

Titled "Loom Jhoom", the exhibition will present a wide array of traditional handlooms including saris, fabrics, dupattas and salwar-kurta in new colours, patterns and textures.

Hosted by Utsav, the collection by sari-visualiser Shashiv Chandran will feature vibrant hand-block prints on a range of amazing handloom weaves. According to Shashiv, these uniquely geometric blocks were specially created for the "Loom Jhoom" collection.

It is the unique placement of these geometric blocks that offers an exciting new visual vocabulary to the traditional garments.

And to celebrate the fascinating colours of South Indian woven saris and fabrics, Shashiv has created a new palette juxtaposing traditional Indian colours like red, madder, yellow, orange and ochre.

In South India, the deeper madder is used to denote sacred spaces, while in North India the bright and brilliant yellows have always been a symbol of hope and abundance.

These colours interpreted in traditional handloom weaves have been specially created by Utsav's looms -- run by Shashiv -- in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

The saris and other garments will come all the way not only from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu but also from Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.

The saris to be displayed include "Mangalagiri", "Gadwal', "Chettinaad", "Kanchi", "Ikat", "Khadi", "Uppada", "Venkatagiri', "Phulia", "Tangail", "Chanderi", "Dabu", "Sanganer' and "Bagru".

On display

Several of these weaves have also been specially handblock-printed in unique designs.

A focus range in this collection is geometric prints specially conceptualised by traditional hand-block master printers in Bagru and Sanganer.

Founded in 1993, Utsav's mission is to create a design dialogue linking traditional handloom weavers with an aesthetic and quality conscious clientele. -- Madhur Tankha

-- Madhur Tankha

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