Tactile Shimmer
Touch: the fundamental sensation that defines and differentiates the real from the unreal. The tactile quality of each object provides a quintessential experience of its very existence and an insight into its identity.
Capturing the essence of light against darkness and registering its movement has always intrigued me. This led me to develop a series of light paintings, where I created an illusion of movement of light through the movement of my camera.
Strokes of light going out of the frame, translated on the loom through extra weft fringing out of the selvedge. The idea was inspired by the traditional temple border found in many Indian sarees
These paintings inspired me to capture the essence of illusionary visual experience and transform it into a tangible real experience through my work, offering my audience a chance to experience the unreal through real.
The collection begins by triggering visual modality and ends with the tickling sensory modality of touch. It playfully materializes itself from something virtual to something tangible.
Mixed-media Ideation
Initial ideation on varied surfaces like fabric and different textured paper. The process was the first step towards translating the visual inspiration into something tangible.
On-loom process
The execution of all the ideas is made on the very fundamental grammar of traditional Indian woven techniques albeit with a twist of contemporary sensibilities.
Traditional weaving techniques like local weft-inlay and cut-work are used to execute this concept along with foil printing to add quirks of modern aesthetics to the collection.
In the picture, a contemporary motif is introduced on a fine silk ground, through the Jamdani technique of local extra-weft insertion. This technique is not only used to create a more contemporary shape but also employs fine chenille yarn to enrich the fabric's texture, capturing the essence of light strokes on the loom with remarkable depth and intricacy.
Final fabric with foil-printed motifs on a fine silk fabric. The foil printing adds the required beautiful gradient gloss and sheen to the motifs seen in the original light paintings.
The Collection
