One versus many: Western concepts of intellectual property meet Indian openness of tradition

16 May 2013, 2pm-330pm, Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, Southbank, Brisbane

When musicians, dancers, artists and designers from India and Western countries like Australia come together to collaborate, they often find different values about ownership of what’s produced. The Western concept of intellectual property is an increasingly formalised system that requires permission for the reproduction of an original work. By contrast, Indian culture seems almost open source. According to Josh Schrei, ‘In Indic thought, there is no trade secret.’ Just as there seem no limits on the way Hinduism can be interpreted, so there seems little in India to stop anyone using another’s designs or compositions. So how do we navigate our way through such different worlds? Featuring:

• Daniel Connell Australian chalk portrait artist
• Professor Pat Hoffie, artist at Queensland College of Art
• Kay McMahon lecturer in fashion at QUT
• Aneesh Pradhan tabla maestro

More details on this roundtable soon. This is part of the Ties that Bind Us symposium at the Encounters Festival, Griffith University

United Sikhs

For many of us with an interest in hand-crafted textiles, we learn about the art and skill of weaving and embellishment by buying textiles that look interesting to us. If we’re lucky, we meet other textile lovers who are willing to share their knowledge, and we build our understanding and appreciation bit by bit, leading to a deep appreciation for the finished product, and the people who produce it. For a smaller number of us, we may find opportunities to meet the weavers and textile workers, and even to learn to create textiles ourselves.

For a long time, I was in the position of having an interest, but not having a ready way to increase my knowledge and appreciation, but a move to India in 2006 gave me the exposure to a vibrant, exciting textile industry. During the years I lived in Bangalore, I got to see many beautiful examples of textiles from all over India, as well as meet people who were involved in the support of the handicraft industry, and the distribution of their lovely products. I even managed to visit a number of locations throughout India where the textiles are produced, and see first hand the lives behind the finished products. I learned much more about Indian textiles (accumulating quite a collection in the process – we need buyers as well as producers!), and was able to take this knowledge and learn more about textiles in other parts of Asia during my travels.

Now that I am no longer living in India with ready access to such a wealth of hand-crafted textile production, any opportunity to return is taken very seriously! Such was the case when my friend Chandra Jain in Bangalore was able to arrange a very special weaving course for me at the government weavers’ centre (BWSC).

As you may already know, the Indian government has centres in many cities in India which are intended to support the workers in the handloom industry in all aspects of the trade, in order to keep the industry viable. As such, they employ a number of people from traditional weaving, dyeing and hand-block-printing families, who are available to train, guide, problem-solve, and generally assist the traditional families in the handloom industry. As Chandra is so involved in supporting the handicrafts industry, she was able to get permission for me to do a basic weaving course at the Bangalore Weavers’ Service Centre. As a foreigner, especially with no skill to add to theirs, this was a very special opportunity for me.

Although no formal course is offered by the Weavers’ Centre, my weaving training followed a structured approach, starting from the very basics, and was conducted by the head of the Weaving Section. His English is good, although we took a little time to get used to each other’s accents, and we managed to communicate well. The weavers in the centre work primarily on frame looms, although there is one small sample loom and some jacquard looms. I was guided through a description of the parts of the loom, and the function of each part, in order to provide a basis for learning about the setup for and process of weaving. From there, I was taught the form of each weave, and its setup requirements.

Since my teacher also has other responsibilities in the centre, I was left quite often with time on my hands. During these down times, I was able to watch the weavers working on their various tasks, and ask lots of questions. I think I learned as much of relevance to me during these times as during my formal lessons. Some basic information on threads and dyes was provided, mostly during ad hoc conversations about sample textiles brought to the centre. In addition, I was introduced to a costing model for textiles, and some problem-solving techniques. I also spent time with the dyers, and was able to learn about some of the problems encountered with dyes. All in all, a very thorough introduction to the handloom industry, and invaluable knowledge for future visits to markets and textile shops!

On the last few days of my course, I worked with the employees at the centre to prepare the thread on reels, and setup the sample loom, which I was then able to use to create my own piece of hand-loomed textile.

During the time I worked with the BWSC staff, I came to hear more about their lives and their thoughts about the future for handloom. Increased competition in the form of cheap textiles from China, and the loss of the cheaper child labour has made it increasingly difficult for them to charge enough for their textiles to make a decent living. Although all the workers are from families who have worked in the industry for generations, and received their training at home within the family business, their children attend standard schools, and are not available for the time required to learn from their parents, or to participate in general production. All of them agree that the government requirement that the children go to school is good, and that the children stand a better chance of earning an decent living in the long run, but they recognise it as the end of their world. Another point that surprised me was how similar the skills required to be a good textile designer/master weaver are to IT skills. The structured thinking, precision, anticipatory skills, and problem-solving ability which make for good IT workers also form the basis for skilled, high-quality, efficient production of handloomed textiles. Since my career background is IT and manufacturing, it was easy for me to see how family characteristics that led to success in textile production can very easily be transferred to a successful career in the Indian IT world. It’s sad to think that the handloom industry is in such straits, and we can only hope that with focused attention from interested parties world wide that the market for handloomed textiles will grow and handloom will remain a viable option to make a living.

In retrospect, I realize that my biggest learning was not how to weave, but what goes into a piece of textile. The initial learning, the years of practice, the ideas and concepts of design, the day-in and day-out production. It’s a very hard life, with little financial reward – only the knowledge that you have created a functional piece of beauty which can be of great use to another person. It was a pleasure to watch and work with people who are so highly skilled.

Jenuarrie, Aboriginal designer from Cairns helps light the lamp for the inauguration of Make it New

A core element of the Sangam Project is a set of standards for best practice, resulting from dialogue across the network. The Make it New Again: Models for Innovation in Traditional Craft conference at NID in Ahmedabad identified some key concerns in craft product development. It is important now to open up these concerns for broad input.

Collaborations between designers and craftspersons offers potential mutual benefit. Craftspersons have access to new markets and creative stimulation through product development. Designers can add value through quality handmade skills and an engaging story.

Entrusting your design to someone else involves faith that it will be treated with respect. The existence of standards provides designers and craftspersons with a platform on which to build this trust.

Help us build this platform.

It may not be the case that there is a universal standard that should be applied in all situations. Your input will help identify important issues at play that will better inform parties involved.

Along with standards for production and use, these design standards will be promoted at the end of the project as ideals by which we should value the work of ourselves and others.

We are seeking your views on two dimensions of design collaboration:

1. Commissioning – giving your design to someone else to produce
2. Appropriating – taking a design from someone else to produce

You can share your thought either through this brief survey or commenting on this document.

Kondapalli wooden figures representing ordinary people

In order to understand a craft, it is important to not only understand it from the technical-economic point of view but also to understand the spirit behind it – the meaning the craft holds for the craft community. There are crafts which slowly languish and die not only because the craft products do not bring enough remuneration to the craftsmen but also because there is no sense of pride and self esteem in working with the craft.

I came across this phenomena first while conducting a workshop for Kondapalli crafts community.   Kondapalli is a town  near Vijayawada city, Andhra Pradesh, India and is very famous for its wooden figures/toys. It is 16 km by road from Vijayawada on National Highway 221 and on Vijayawada-Hyderabad railway line. Kondapalli toys are carved out of locally available softwood called ‘Tella Poniki’.  The wood is so soft that it can be easily carved by a single hand tool to create beautiful intricate forms.

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The wood grows in the hilly areas surrounding the place where the craftspeople live. The homes are small – often consisting of two rooms (one room to cook and the other to store articles/sleep), an open verandah and a small garden. The wood was often is short supply and the craftsmen had to go further and further away to collect wood with the passing years.

The craftsmen make wooden toys representing  mythological gods and goddesses as well as ordinary people busy in their different occupations. Some of them also carve local village goddesses from wood. These toys are often used in a festival called kolu. During this nine day festival the dolls are arranged in steps. Kolu is adorned with dolls – predominantly with that of the gods and goddesses depicting mythology. It is a traditional practice to have at least some wooden dolls and one can find many Kondapalli toys as part of the Kolu.The presence of these dolls in the house during the nine days signifies the divine ‘godly’ presence in homes.

Kondapalli wooden figure of god Ganesh

Although there were many craftsmen practicing this craft and the craft was doing well,  the craftsmen also felt that the local market was not giving them enough remuneration for the craft. Scarcity of wood, increase in cost of living and modern influences were bringing dissatisfaction. One incident which struck me was when a craftsman described how they had carved a large order of pen holders  using the same carving skills – but did not find joy in making them. While probing further, I was told that some designers who came to the craft cluster were keen on design intervention which would help them sell for new markets such as corporate gifts. The craftsmen got a large order for the new corporate gift designs. Since the large order gave them a sustainable income the craftsmen did take up the order but were not happy about it. They specially resented the fact that mythological gods/goddesses had to be carved (in three dimension in the front and flat at the back) and stuck onto the pen holders.  It felt strange that they did not like to work on an order which promised them sustainable income.

It made me think, whether designers should be satisfied with just providing the craftsmen enough income through new design interventions or should they also aspire for something more through the new designs?  Craft is a creative process and should not stagnate – only a continuous process of innovation can help a craft survive in contemporary times. But as designers why do we only cater to the user aspirations and needs of the consumers but do not pay the same attention to the needs and aspirations of the craftspeople?

Such crafts are intrinsically linked to a way of living:  living close to nature, with age old stories and mythological figures, with customs and tradition that give meaning and richness to life. It may be more difficult and challenging to weave these factors into modern products and lifestyle through design intervention but it needs to be done. Or else, we may keep the craft technique, skills and practice alive but in the process we will lose something more precious – the spirit which keeps a craft alive!

Note: The case study is based on the personal experience of having visited and interacted with the Kondapalli toy craftsman as part of a workshop in 2004

Gayatri Menon is a Design educator with National Institute of Design, NID, India

Block printer

Rashidji shares the stories of his past when a gesture or word of appreciation was being valued more than money, when the ideas springing out from dialogues mattered more than the amount of ‘production output’.

He speaks with much consideration about his learning at Anokhi, his greatest inspiration and assures that there will always be demand for good work.

Rashidji

In the sixties and seventies things couldn’t be worse for the block printing industry of Jaipur. The slump in the demand for the block printed textiles in the local market was fuelled with the increase in adoption of mill made fabric by the people. Moreover block printed textiles were for sale within the state of Rajasthan only and tourism and export of handicrafts were yet to offer its merits to the regional people. With meager earnings in hand it was not possible for the local printers and traders to search and reach for faraway market in distant lands. Printers, block carvers and traders had either altered their profession for economic good while others continued to remain with it. Abdul and his family was one such who continued their legacy of block making.

At sixty-six, he continues his daily custom of practicing block making though only for a couple of hours. As for the rest of the day he would instruct the personnel, meet the people who come to visit him and would go for a walk routinely in the morning. Clad in grey khadi shirt and warm gesture, Rashidji speaks with much consideration about his learning, inspiration and the changing work ethics of the artisans.

The year 1996 was perhaps the most consequential time of his life when he decisively left Anokhi, the pioneer in block printing and formed his concern Mughal Garden. Under the concern, he has his own retail store ‘Rashid’ in Jaipur. Presently, United States is his biggest export market, others being Japan and Italy. Rashidji’s yearning for recognition as a block maker led him to start his own entrepreneurial venture. ‘Block maker does the real work but his name does not appear anywhere. The printer who prints is known but no one would ask who made the block. Hence, I wished to start my own work,’ he said emotively.

Rashid's store in Jaipur

Aptly put Rashidji graduated from Anokhi, where he had spent twenty-four years ‘educating’ himself about contemporary designs, color schemes and many more priceless things. It was in 1971 when Rashidji joined Anokhi and since then he stayed; cherishing the fruitful discussions, design led learning and the working environment prevalent in the institution. ‘Though designing had always been my parental work what was required to learn was how to combine the traditional with the ‘contemporary’. What Anokhi did was they took the prints from traditional Ghaghra (long skirt) and introduced freshness to it. All those who worked at Anokhi learnt from the designers who visited every now and then. We watched them; they shared their experiences with us. This is how we all learnt,’ he recalled.

Rashidji’s words were embraced with gratitude for Faith Singh, the founder of Anokhi who always enthused the team to do good quality work and cultivated strong working codes at the enterprise. ‘The good thing that Faith Singh did was to inspire people to do good work and made connection with well-known people in the field.’ He asserts that Anokhi had been very supportive when he had started his new venture. Anokhi had revived the block printing industry of Jaipur and nearby towns of Sanganer and Bagru in the seventies. They made block printing popular in the West and consequently in India as well. Presently it employs thousands of artisans, designers and other employees in Jaipur.

He also attributed the success of Anokhi to those who worked for them, for they always thought about work and coveted for appreciation above everything else. It was the good team of artisans who walked the dreaded but the golden path of sincerity and commitment that led the vision of the institution forward. He prided himself as he shared the memories of his days at Anokhi, but deplored the conduct of today’s designers and artisans. ‘It was a golden period back then. Those who worked for Anokhi never thought about money but work. We used to spend hours on discussion and never cared for it. If spent so let it be. But today if you talk to designers they say we’ve wasted their two hours and therefore they charge for it!’ He also found a widespread resistance among artisans who are willing to do the work with diligence and skillfulness. More people wish to move into screen-printing as they disparage the craft of block printing. ‘What mattered in traditional printing were the skill and precision with which they did it. Now no one wants to put effort into it. Everyone wants to produce more in less time. It’s great trouble to find artisans who can do good work,’ he said anxiously.

This is perhaps because artisans do not earn enough out of this. Their average earning is somewhere around 200-300 rupees per day which is a little more than what a laborer would earn in India. Moreover they are remunerated on piece rate basis and hence the hurry to produce more in less time. Another reason why artisans do not want their children to learn the craft is because those who practice have got low status in the society. In India practicing certain crafts is considered lowly and this mindset stems from the association of craft with caste in the Indian society.

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While in the West and now among urban Indians too block printed piece of garment is much treasured. They are all cognizant of the fact that block printing requires greater human effort and time, finesse and above all it leaves a personal mark of the artisan who prints it. This indeed is the reason why people in the West and those who know the craft well are in great admiration of it. Unlike machines human hand cannot be perfect and this imperfection of the human hand is a thing of reverence. But this acknowledgement does not come easy for those who are uninformed about the craft, culture and the region from where it comes. Absorbed in perfection, Japan is the country which might have an aversion towards human errors. Designer Gitto Patni, the owner of block printing firm says, ‘We had Japanese buyers who said there are spots on the fabric. They were of needle size. We told them that these are hand-printed and such minor errors are part of it. Then they agreed. So we had to educate them about hand printing.’ She further shares her experiences where one of the buyers thought the fabric was screen-printed as the printing was done so finely. The other buyer agreed to buy fabric that was terribly printed because she wanted it that way. As artisans strive for perfection, it is the human error, which is prized. So what can you call good or bad? What is good design, in this case?

Upon asked whether block printing would flourish in the future or not, Rashidji is quick to convince that there would always be demand for good work. ‘People generally believe that in India block printing is looked down upon. But this is now a thing of past. I would say there is a greater market in India than in the West. People are quick to point out which is block printed and which one is the screen-printed. They are shrewd enough to make out the difference,’ he said smilingly.

Ishita Parekh has graduated in Master’s in Arts Journalism from CEPT (Center for Environmental Planning and Technology) University, Ahmedabad. She is interested in writing stories on artisans and crafts’ legacies.

Jugalbandi: Designed and Made in Australia and India will be on display at the Design Gallery, National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad to accompany the Make it New Again: Models for Innovation in Traditional Craft conference 22-24 November.

Jugalbandi will offer a taste of the creative partnerships currently developing between Australia and India, offering participants valuable feedback. This exhibition will contain work by more than twenty Australian and Indian artists whose work is inspired or produced by the other’s country. Artists include Deborah Emmett, Ishan Khosla & Jumna Lal Kumhar, Jenuarrie, Liz Williamson, Lucy Simpson, Michelle Jank & Ashok Ladiwal, Minna Loft, Sandra Bowkett, Sutopa Parrab, Kaleidoscope Project UTS and Cultural Textiles COFA. More details of works and artists to come soon.

Rodarte fashion with Aboriginal designs

Aboriginal art practices are part of a global economy and the recent collaboration between fashion designers Rodarte and the late Papunya Tula artist Benny Tjangala is testament to the international scope and universal appeal of Australia’s only authentic and original art movement. The California-based self-taught sisters Laura and Kate Mulleavey – the names behind Rodarte – are known for their beautifully tailored garments and uber cool ready to wear collections. Their Fall 2012 collection maintains their reputation as innovators on the world fashion stage, and Rodarte’s collaboration with Tjangala further enhances this notoriety in a sea of structured piete dresses, blouses, high waisted pants, knits and evening gowns.

The fashion industry has always turned to the work of artists for inspiration and Benny Tjangala’s work joins an illustrious list of international artists such as Cy Twombly, Van Gogh, Marina Abramovic, Salvador Dali and Picasso in all having directly inspired major fashion houses and their designers. In a statement first published on fashion news site Fashionista, Rodarte commented on Tjangala’s influence on their new collection: ‘We deeply respect and admire the work of other artists. Through the appropriate channels, we licensed the Aboriginal artwork that influenced prints in our collection. As a result, the artists will share in proceeds of the pieces inspired by their work.’

What we see in this remarkable symbolic convergence of two esteemed forms of high art production is an engagement of performance as a genre that imbues a new sense of cultural providence from both the art and fashion context. On one hand, we have traditional painting from the world’s oldest continuous living culture and on the other, the elite production of wearable couture gracing the New York catwalks.

Traditionally, paintings on bark panels and the body would be utilised in the context of ceremony to pay homage to our ancestral spirits and creation narratives. In the fashion world the adornment of the human body layered with sartorial elegance and opulence celebrates beauty. Both reference the human form as a central site of ritual and inspiration. Tjangala’s designs feature on five of the garments from the Rodarte collection, including two floor length gowns, one with detailed patterning and another with handprints and ruffled details and a fitted sleeveless leather mini dress. In all five outfits, Tjangala’s signature bold patterning is employed discreetly enough so as to maintain artistic integrity, but in a manner that also utilises the vivid impact of his personal aesthetic and his traditional country.

Aboriginal art is a huge industry in Australia, which brings in millions of dollars to our local economy. We are all too familiar with the generic recruitment of Aboriginal art – emblazoned across planes and airline uniforms, tourist shop t-shirts, tea towels and placemats – often in a superfluous and crude manner as a preoccupation with building national identity. This serves as a facade to a country that has been built on a self indulgent mythology of the fair dinkum Aussie battler, peaceful settlement and the thinnest of territorial claims; a shiny veneer veiling much more profound and unresolved issues of nationhood and sovereignty.

Rodarte was attracted to the work of Tjangala on a purely aesthetic level – his use of colour, his valiant brush strokes and the distinctive style of his western desert heritage. The Papunya Tula movement has powered onto the international art scene through the landmark exhibition Papunya Tula, Genesis and Genius, curated by Hetti Perkins at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney in 2000, and the permanent representation of Tjangala’s countrymen Tommy Watson and Ningurra Napurrula in the interior of Jean Nouvel’s architectural venture in Paris, Musee Du Qaui Branly.

The momentum behind the Papunya Tula art movement is not defined by localised political agendas and discussions. Rodarte’s attraction to the work of Tjangala therefore reinforces the dynamic allure of the Papunya Tula work to international audiences. Despite the criticism surrounding the use of Tjangala’s work by a commercial fashion house, there will evidently be an increased presence of such collaborations, and an ongoing emergence of Aboriginal Australian diaspora in the world.

I contend that these types of consensual collaborations are essential in gaining autonomous recognition and financial independence while also working to transcend the polarisation of the complex multicultural face of modern Aboriginal Australia. Tjangala’s work defies attempts to be drawn into provincial arguments about ownership and returns our art back to its rightful place – as a revered and influential form of contemporary art production. It demonstrates our ability as a culture to adapt and change form and to find creative and exciting platforms to share our experience and culture with the world, thus contributing to a global discourse.

Christian Thompson is a contemporary artist and currently Inaugural Charlie Perkins Scholar at Oxford University. This was originally published in the Australian Design Review. 

An Indian comes to Australia to revive a craft skill that had been outmoded by technological change…

Wait a minute, shouldn’t it be the other way around?

The ‘Through Indian Eyes’ forum was designed to reflect the experience many have coming to India, where they become enamoured with a traditional practice that they seek to revive. Block printing is a common example. For an outsider, the spectacle is wonderful to witness. With such concentration and exactness, the printer stamps a wooden block in place, repeating a pattern across a wide expanse of fabric. The resulting fabric has a magical aura – revealing not only the beauty of the pattern itself, but also the essence of something handmade with care.

Diego Bonetto demonstrating how the Big Fag Press works

There are no known professional block printers in Australia. However, there are some manual printing skills that have been recently replaced by more automated technology. Through the Powerhouse Museum, the Sangam Project discovered Diego Bonetto at Big Fag Press. With friends, he had purchased a lithographic offset proofing press for $50. They probably could have got if for free, but the real expense was the $1,200 it cost to move. With help of some old timers, they managed to work out how to use the machine and learn its tricks. In the industry, these kinds of machines are no longer necessary because there is less need for proofing sheets. However, for artists who are seeking to have a limited print run, it is perfect. The very hands on nature of the process for them is an asset, giving them direct access to the printing plate. While an even spread of ink across the page is the machine ideal, they can create something interesting by varying this.

This press seemed to reflect an important element also found in the contemporary use of block printing. Traditionally, the textile craft is valued according to the accuracy of print. But this accuracy is better guaranteed now by newer processes such as silkscreen and digital printing. From the viewpoint of technology, block printing looks an inferior process, subject to human error. However, when seen as a creative expression, the irregularities and mis-registrations can seem positively as a form of individual expression.

As such, block printing is often the scene of conflict between Western designers and Indian artisans. A designer might encourage the printer to make mistakes, as foreign clients will value the handmade gesture rather than mechanical precision. However, a traditional artisan may be offended with the request to betray the honour of his or her craft. In the West, we take for granted the romantic nature of self expression, particularly since the Arts and Crafts Movement when writers like Ruskin reacted against the deadening nature of technology. But this romanticism is not necessarily shared by societies that have not been through the same scale of industrialisation.

One position struggles against the other. From the designer’s perspective, the artisan seems stubborn, clinging to the past. While from the artisan’s viewpoint, the designer has no respect for the craft, focusing on the market rather than the need to continue tradition. How to bring these perspectives together is a significant challenge in developing a partnership between artisan and designer that is characterised by mutual respect.

Pawan Luthra explaining the importance of the Angetram

We tried to replicate this position so that the shoe was on the other foot. The Indian designer (played by a real one, Ishan Khosla) is invited to Australia by a local media mogul (played by a real one, the affable Pawan Luthra) to make a invitation for his daughter’s angetram. The angetram is a coming of age for an Indian girl where she demonstrates her mastery of traditional dance. Like the bar mitzvah, these events have become grand affairs in Sydney, with thousands of guests and bands flown in from India.

Khosla decides to use the rarity of the Big Fag Press to design cards that maximise the irregularity of the old press – every one is different. Sceptical at first Luthra agrees and they end up being quite successful. However, a guest returning to India shows it to a friend, who happens to be part of a new political group, the Artisan Liberation Front. The ALF is reacting against the loss of tradition in India that is seen as resulting from foreign influence, such as the recent decision to allow multinationals like Walmart into the local marketplace. One of their core principles is the moral right of artisans to seek perfection in their work.

Ishan Khosla explaining to Diego Bonetto, Jane Burns, Sally Campbell, Lindy Joubert, Christina Sumner and Pawan Luthra how the redundant printer could be turned to creative ends

One of Australia’s leading textile designers, Sally Campbell, is at this point kidnapped by the ALF. The panel was asked to intervene at this point. Senior curator Christina Sumner offered the ingenious solution that involves the Powerhouse Museum sending over some old printers that can help the revival of dying skills.

The energetic responses of the panel helped open up this issue. As founding director of the Crafts Council of Australia, Jane Burns reflected on the misunderstandings that occurred in the past between the Australian notion of craft as an art form, versus its more practical value in India. She helped also raise the question of what kind of responsibility Australia takes now for its craft heritage. This was echoed by the founding director of the UNESCO Observatory, Lindy Joubert, who spoke about the global significance of intangible cultural heritage.

Besides the creative responses of the panel, the audience too offered some important thoughts about the significance of traditional crafts. Helmut Lueckenhausen spoke about the importance of tradition not just for the beauty of objects but also the sense of connectedness that it encourages between people, their society and wider world. There was also an impassioned call from a local audience member about the dire situation facing crafts in New South Wales, with the cuts to TAFE. She argued that we should not only be worried about the situation facing impoverished artisans in India, we need to see what’s happening to our creative skill base at home.

Ably steered by Nell Schofield, the speculative scenario managed to touch a nerve for participants and audience. As often happens, what begins as a missionary project often turns on itself, with the giver becoming the receiver. Through this reversal, we can uncover a new sense of solidarity between Australia and India.

What future lies within for a new solidarity between Australia and India in repurposing redundant technologies as art forms

Bhukhu the applique embroiderer

Bhukhu is an appliqué embroiderer from the small village of Marharbat, near Barmer in Rajasthan, India. She is sixty-four years old. Bhukhu learnt the appliqué craft of making tiny stitches around cut stencilled fabric, from watching her parents work. She has now taught her daughter in law and niece the craft and together they help to supplement the family’s income though the embroidery work they complete. They are members of a women’s group supported by a NGO, People Youth Development Organisation, based in Barmer who deliver the stencilled fabric pieces for the women to embroider.

On the day that I interview Bhukhu she is working on a piece of appliqué, the finely stitched geometric patterns on lime green cotton revealing the aqua cotton organdie beneath. She does not know what the fabric is going to be used for or who has designed the piece. I am the first foreigner she has ever met.

In a high street shop in Sydney a customer admires a pair of appliqué curtains. She reads the label to learn more about these intricately stitched textiles. ‘100% cotton, hand embroidered in India.’ She wants to know more.

Since the industrial revolution there has been an emphasis on production and consumption, the consumer encouraged to buy more and more manufactured products to the point where often products have a built-in obsolescence. Over the past ten years events such as 9/11, environmental disasters and the GFC have caused a consciousness to develop globally: what happens in one place can affect each of us living in another. The ‘link between consumption and resource depletion, industrial production and environmental degradation’ ¹ has led to an increasing shift towards people making more thoughtful purchasing decisions. As a result new markets are developing of urban consumers for the products of traditional artisans because their ‘crafts inherently represent, to the patron of sustainable practice, a connect and concern with material, and the environment.’ ²

Consumers are increasingly finding ways to make more of their purchases purposeful, be it by choosing fair-trade products or merchandise that supports a cause. In Edelman’s, the public relations firm, 2010 GoodPurpose study, 71 percent of consumers surveyed globally believe that projects that protect and sustain the environment can help grow the economy while 66 percent reported that they are more likely to buy and recommend products from companies that support a good cause. ³

Some western designers in response to or perhaps leading this ethically driven consumer movement have moved away from mass-produced generic fashion and instead have developed new products using the skills of traditional artisans in developing countries. The benefits provided by the designers’ interaction with artisan communities has been discussed as well as the downfalls. In the Foreword of Designers meet Artisans Indrasen Vencatachellum, UNESCO Chief, Section for Arts, Crafts and Design, supports the role of designers, ‘Given the communication gap between producers and consumers, the designer is seen as an indispensable intermediate, a ‘bridge’ between the artisan’s know-how and his knowledge of what to make.’⁴But it is also important that the artisans’ creativity is respected and protected to prevent them from becoming the equivalent of skilled labour executing the design creations of professional designers.

Since most traditional artisans live in rural areas they are disconnected from the tastes and current fashions of a global, mostly urban market. Not only do the designers create that connection but their innovative approaches and use of alternative materials can breathe life into dying crafts as well as provide a sustainable income for the artisans. But ‘the reduction of the artisan’s role to that of a mere producer subservient to the designer’s influence, and the lack of reference to the cultural context in products designed for an alien, volatile market, are among the commonly expressed concerns.’⁵ A western designer with integrity has the dilemma of developing a supportive relationship within the artisans’ framework and producing quality, marketable products that will give the consumer with a conscience an understanding of the story behind the products’ creation.

By examining some traditional artisan communities in India with case studies of their interaction with western designers this paper will raise some of the complexities that are experienced by both the artisans and designers. In India traditional craftspeople form the second largest employment base after agriculture. Mainly these traditional artisans are trained in skills that are learned as apprentices or passed on by family members outside the mainstream educational system. ⁶ Up to 70 per cent belong to the more deprived socio economic sections of society, mostly in rural India. This seems ironic since the Indian Government has historically been committed to the craft sector, a result of the ethos of a national identity fostered during Mahatma Gandhi’s freedom movement. Ashoke Chatterjee in The Indian Craft: Sunrise or Sunset in a Global Market states that ‘Unlike most developing countries, in India crafts have been given a place in national planning.’⁷ Jasleen Dhamija expands in her article From then to now⁸that formerly traditional craftsmen supplied the needs of local industry and households until the establishment in 1952 of the government organization, All India Handicrafts and Handloom Board. Craft centres were located throughout India and their needs assessed. The Central Cottage Industries Association was established to market the finest products of handicrafts through exhibitions. The Government of India has a program where the title of Master Craftsman is bestowed upon eligible artisans whose products are included in the exhibitions.

Misri Khan is a recognized Master Craftsman and leader of an artisan’s embroidery group in the village of Darasat, 40km from Barmer. Khan obtains the raw materials that he then distributes to the women who specialise in mirrorwork embroidery. While interviewing him Khan discussed the changing situation of the artisan’s work over the past decade.’Initially this embroidery was done in homes and used by the local people for weddings dresses etc. In the last 10 years interest has developed from the west and now we get samples through different organisations and develop them for them.’ Khan frequently travels to Delhi to exhibit in Indian Government sponsored artisan fairs. At the fairs he says ‘foreigners have bought products from us but as I don’t have an export licence I have not had any repeat orders from them nor am I in contact with those people. He continues, ‘we are running on losses doing this work. We have taken loans from the government and others to do this work. We are very poor and don’t have exposure to the western market and so don’t get the money we need. With interest on loans we are running on losses.’

A western designer visiting Delhi goes to such a fair and is attracted to some exquisite embroidery work on exhibit and immediately visualizes how the embroidery could be applied to her own design concepts for a range of clothing. The designer finds that the exhibitor is a member of an NGO selling the work of artisans, from a rural area of India, that he represents. After some discussion the NGO representative arranges for sample pieces of the embroidery to be made with the designer’s input of colours and fabric to be used. The samples are approved and an order for the embroidery is placed, the embroidery pieces will be exported to the designer on completion by means of the NGO’s export licence. At no time has the designer had contact with the artisan.

This is one of many similar business models pertaining to western designers wishing to include traditional crafts within their creative process. ‘The question as to whether design intervention is at all a value-added and productive process is distinctly complicated by the fact that most artisans are not active players, either in spearheading change or in marketing. The actual players represent many different interest areas.’⁹ However the practicalities of language differences, geographic distances and bureaucratic constraints can stymie even the best intentions by the western designer to be directly in contact with the artisans. Yet the consumer is increasingly more interested in and demanding that the story behind each hand crafted product be transparent and traceable.

Western designers may be unwittingly doing more harm than good by not actively engaging with the artisans and without gaining an understanding of the cultural context within which the artisans work. Designer meets Artisans states that ‘insensitive forms of design intervention often separate elements of the craft and then juxtapose them in new ways. This disempowers artisans because it is done without any explanation of the means of access.’¹⁰ Conversely to remain economically viable the artisans ‘must respond to changes in markets, consumer needs, fashion trends and usage preferences.’¹¹ This knowledge can be brought to the artisans by designers.

Indeed by western designers gaining a better understanding of the way artisans work in their communities and by endorsing a collaborative approach in their interaction with the artisans the resulting design process can be more beneficial for both the designer and the artisan. This quote from The Kashmiri Shawl by Rosie Thomas about a kani embroidered shawl explains the design process in a typical artisan community, ‘The weaver shook it out so the colours danced in the air. The other two young men caught the corners and brought the piece closer to show off the design. These were the embroiderers who had sat for the whole year, one end apiece, to work over the woven blossoms with their intricate stitches. The shawl wasn’t just their work, though. It also belonged to the spinners and dyers, and the talim man who had drawn up the intricate patterns for the weavers to follow.’¹²

Fayaz Ahmad the draftsman or 'naqash'

In my own experience of working with artisan communities in India I have found collaboration with as many specific artisans as possible involved in producing my designs in fact produces the best results. This is not always easy due to restrictions involving the previously mentioned business models. Contact can be limited to a NGO representative, business agents or business owners because of language barriers and the geographic distances involved between the various artisans specializing in particular skills involved in the production of a design. But by insistence each artisan can be met and included in the design process, their knowledge enhancing and evolving the design. At the same time each artisan can be given an insight into the concept and purpose of the design so therefore gains an understanding of the products use by the eventual buyer. For example when making new designs for crewel embroidery curtains the Kashmiri naqash or draftsman studied my proposed designs and suggested subtle changes that would better suit the crewel embroidery stitch. After explaining that the embroidered fabric would be made into three metre length curtains he suggested the concentration of the design be reduced to make the product more affordable for the customer while still enabling the fabric to be hand embroidered. Time spent with the crewel embroiderers meant colour variations can be explained and adjustments made while an appreciation of their skills is ascertained.

Other western designers have also found a collaborative approach when working with traditional artisans can successfully promote their communities and cultural sustainability. Australian Carolyn Wilson founder of Better World Arts has linked Australian Aboriginal paintings with Kashmiri chain stitch embroidery and weaving in a cross-cultural project. After her initial experience of sending her own painting designs to an Indian Kashmiri family, the Sidiqs, to be woven she became involved through a friend with Kaltjiti Arts, located in the traditional Aboriginal Anangu Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara Lands (APY Lands) of northern South Australia. Together they decided to have Aboriginal painting designs embroidered and woven in Kashmir.

At first ‘there were problems of translation – of design, not language. The myriad of dots that characterises central Australian Aboriginal painting was problematic for weavers, and she learnt to be quite selective in the paintings she sent for production.’ ¹³ Wilson found that by sending designs from Australia mistakes in translation and colours were often made in the woven home furnishings of rugs, cushion covers and wall hangings that were exported back to her. ‘She now tries to travel at least once a year to Kashmir in order to check quality control and maintain the personal relationships on which her business is based.’¹⁴

The Aboriginal artists commission the production of their images onto products owned by themselves, through their art centres. Wilson had to convince the market to accept ‘Aboriginal-derivative products,’ she considers that these products give access to interested consumers who cannot economically have access to the art market. Of equal importance is that around sixty Kashmiri artisans are provided with a steady income applying their traditional craft that has been in sharp decline in the Kashmir region, threatened by mass production. ‘Aboriginal communities provide the designs and stories that appeal to the Australian market. And the Kashmiri artisans find regular work in providing these products with a handmade quality that enlivens the designs.’ ¹⁵

The IOU Project encourages their customers to take an active role in the design process making the story of how each item of clothing was created completely traceable through the use of social media. ‘When a customer purchases and then receives the piece through the IOU Project site, they’ll find that each piece has a QR code. Each code takes the final customer back to the artisans involved in making that piece. Using the code, we encourage the customer to upload their picture wearing that piece to complete the story.’¹⁶ The traditional Indian handloom weavers can then see the final destination of the product they began. Kavita Parmar, fashion designer and cofounder of the IOU Project, travelled around India and spent time talking to the 246 artisan families of weavers involved to understand their craft and their business model. Parmar explains, ‘we are helping them open up another market. They have been struggling to compete with machine-made goods in their traditional markets. We do not interfere with their traditional weaving or design processes, but take the fabrics they make and then design the pieces and the final garment in Europe.’ She considers that the designer’s role is to develop a product with a modern aesthetic ‘while learning a lot about the craft from the artisan.’¹⁷ While the IOU Project’s customer’s awareness about the weavers who make the fabrics and the time involved in the weaving process encourages responsible consumption.

The common consensus according to Artists meets Designers is ‘That the artisans need to be involved in every aspect of market research, design, production, costing and marketing, and also need to understand the adaptations and changes in the form, function, usage and sale of the product that they are making.’¹⁸ Sari Fair Fashion is a certified Fair Trade design company based in the Netherlands that sells products made by traditional artisans in India and Bangladesh. The artisans are included in the design process by involvement in workshops organized by Sari’s Karin Kaashoek on her frequent trips to the artisans’ communities. Fashion trends from Europe, including colours and styles, are shown to the artisans in a series of ‘look books.’ Discussions with the artisans establish how their products fit in with European trends or how they can be adapted using existing techniques. Ideas are researched and developed with the artisans applying their traditional crafts to new products. They are part of the design process and their stories are available for the consumer. The Sari Fair Fashion website suggests that ‘Any group that wants to organize an activity around fair trade, sustainable production and critical consumption, may rely on one of the SARI Fair Fashion Shops.’¹⁹ They will give an illustrated presentation including images of the producers and background of their work in the clothing and textile trade.

The concept of connectedness has been reinforced through the phenomenal growth of the Internet and in particular the use of social media over the past few years. The consumer, like the woman shopping in a Sydney high street, now considers that they should be a part of a network that includes transparency and traceability about the products they buy. There is an attraction to the handmade product because the consumer with a conscience considers that they are part of an ethical process in supporting the sustainability of traditional craft communities who culturally tend to respect the natural resources in their environment.

But returning to Bhukhu, the appliqué embroiderer near Barmer, like most craftspeople in India she has no formal training and little or no education. Her access to the Internet and connection to the global community is questionable. The artisan, even a master craftsperson, mainly remains outside the design development and marketing process. Jasleen Dhamija concludes that in India, ‘the craftpersons have to learn to stand on their own two feet. …. It requires that the knowledge, the skills of the masters should be a part of the formal education system. … It is only when the craftpersons are equal partners in the production, marketing of crafts, in deciding the government policy towards crafts can we expect crafts to develop the strength to be sustained.’²⁰The western designer would be then interacting with a more informed artisan with an integral role in the network of designer, artisan and consumer.

Endnotes

¹ Sharmila Wood, Sustaining crafts and livelihoods: handmade in India (Craft + Design Enquiry 3, 2011), Viewed 3 April 2012, http://www.craftaustralia.org.au/cde/index.php/cde/article/viewFile/21/20.

² J. Bhatt, Philosophy and Practice of Crafts and Design (Seminar Magazine, [online], 2007), Viewed 3 April 2012, http://www.india–‐seminar.com/2007/570/570_jatin_bhatt.html.

³ ‘Executive Summary 2010 Edelman goodpurpose Study’ 2010, Viewed 6 April 2012, http://www.scribd.com/doc/90805269/Executive-Summary-2010-Edelman-goodpurpose®-Study.

⁴ Indrasen Vencatachellum, Foreword to Designers Meet Artisans: A Practical Guide, (Published jointly by the Craft Revival Trust, Artesanías de Colombia S A. and U N E S C O, 2005), v.

⁵ Vencatachellum, Foreword, v. ⁶ Ritu Sethi, Coming Out of the Shadow: Contextualising and Codifying Traditional Indigenous Knowledge of Craft Practice into Mainstream Education (Craft Revival Trust Voice, September 2010), Viewed 6 April 2012, http://www.craftrevival.org:voiceDetails.asp%3FCode=234.

⁷ Ashoke Chatterjee, The Indian Craft: Sunrise or Sunset in a Global Market (Craft Revival Trust Voice, 2006), Viewed 6 April 2012, http://www.craftrevival.org:voiceDetails.asp%3FCode=106.

⁸ Jasleen Dhamija, From then till now (India together, June 2003), Viewed 7 April 2012, http://www.indiatogether.org:2003:jun:eco-craftsnow.htm.

⁹ Ritu Sethi, Cecilia Duque Duque and Indrasen Vencatachellum, ed., Designers Meet Artisans: A Practical Guide (Published jointly by the Craft Revival Trust, Artesanías de Colombia S A. and U N E S C O, 2005), 3.

¹⁰ Sethi, Duque Duque and Vencatachellum, ed., Designers Meet Artisans: A Practical Guide, 8.

¹¹ Sethi, Duque Duque and Vencatachellum, ed., Designers Meet Artisans: A Practical Guide, 9.

¹² Rosie Thomas, The Kashmir Shawl (HarpersCollinsPublishers, 2011), 359.

¹³ ‘Better World Arts: Friendship calls, from Kaltjiti to Kashmir’ (Sangam-the Australia India Design Platform posted by coordinator 28 February 2012), Viewed 19 April 2012, http://sangamproject.net.

¹⁴ ‘Better World Arts: Friendship calls, from Kaltjiti to Kashmir,’ Viewed 19 April 2012, http://sangamproject.net.

¹⁵ ‘Better World Arts,’ Viewed 19 April 2012, http://www.betterworldarts.com.au/artists.php.

¹⁶ Regina Connell, The Big Picture: IOU Project/Kavita Parmar (Handful of Salt, April 2012), Viewed 23 April 2012, http://www.handfulofsalt.com/?p=11798.

¹⁷ ‘The IOU Project: Weaving Hope’ (Source 4 Style, February 2012), Viewed 23 April 2012, http://blog.iouproject.com/?p=2025.

¹⁸ Sethi, Duque Duque and Vencatachellum, ed., Designers Meet Artisans: A Practical Guide, 9.

¹⁹ ‘Sari Fair Fashion,’ Viewed 23 April 2012, http://www.sari-textiel.nl.

²⁰ Jasleen Dhamija, From then till now (India together, June 2003), Viewed 7 April 2012, http/::www.indiatogether.org:2003:jun:eco-craftsnow.htm.

Deborah Emmett is a fashion and textile designer who lives in Sydney and Delhi. Her label is Tradition Textiles. See also her work in Jugalbandi.

Protocols for producting Indigenous Australian visual arts

This Best Practice document includes standards that help guide those seeking to ensure an ethical basis for product development involving designers and artisans. They pertain to situations where the concepts of a designer and craft skills of an artisan are combined to develop a marketable product. It presumes that the processes of ideation and realisation are of equal value, despite the presence of hierarchies that place thinking above making.

The following are draft standards related to product that emerged from the workshop at National Association of the Visual Arts, Sydney on 6 August 2012. They are based on the Protocols for Producing Indigenous Australian Visual Arts. These will be circulated for discussion and further discussed at the roundtable in Ahmedabad on 23 November 2012. These follow from the draft standards for labelling established in 2011.

Draft Standards for Product Development

The relationship between designer and producer is one of mutual respect.

These standards are proposed for those who want to recognize the qualities of the relation between designers, producers and users. It acknowledges the importance of both producer and designer in the making of work. This enables the value of the product to extend beyond the mere object, to include the long-term positive effect of the production itself.

This relationship is collaborative and involves recognition of equal status. Part of the acknowledgement of equal status involves accounting for the contribution of each.

Design, craft and production are all activities and skills that are valued for their quality and uniqueness. Both the designer and craftsperson are known by the importance of their roles and for the quality of their work. The relationship between designers and producers should be one of mutual respect and equal status.

The use of the design should be controlled by the one who creates it or brings it into the relationship.

1. Seek permission from communities if you seek to use their designs.

While there is little legal protection for traditional knowledge, art work that incorporates folk designs will carry greater meaning if it comes with permissions from the community from where the designs emanate. All parties need to make sure that they have authority to use designs

2.  Seek permission from designers before copying their designs.

Those who have been commissioned to realise someone else’s design should not make copies or distribute that design without their permission.

3.  Allow for collaboration in the making.

Those seeking the services of a producer to realise their designs you should have respect for their skills as a creative contribution to the final product. Providing space in design for interpretation from the maker can give added value to the production process.

This relationship is shaped around the understanding that the use of the design should be controlled by the one who creates it or brings it into the relationship. Many designers, craftsmen and producers bring traditional knowledge into the relationship of making and producing artefacts. It is important that this should be acknowledged.