This week, a wood block printing studio collaborates with a sustainable fashion brand and two musicians to bring a one-of-a-kind event to Mumbai, blending music with hands-on art
Tree of Life pattern
There’s a fascinating experiential art showcase lined up this weekend that involves a concept rooted in the idea of creative reconstruction — breaking, unblocking, recreating — that unites two distinct art forms to give audiences a novel experience. From September 11 to 16, Tharangini, a Bengaluru-based wood block printing heritage studio, is collaborating with Dhi Earth, an eco-friendly textiles company, for an exhibition titled, unBlocking Archival Pattern: Tharangini, a Continuum (1970-today). On September 13, two musicians will conduct an interactive session on Carnatic music as well.
Organised by Mumbai-based art gallery, ARTISANS’ Centre, the exhibition features a series of exquisite textile and wearable art pieces that have been handcrafted in a particular manner. Tharangini specialises in this unique 14-step, plant-based process; for over five decades, this studio has been imprinting eco-friendly natural resin layers on textiles, thus creating pieces with vintage block prints.
Masulipattam print. PICS COURTESY/Tharan Gini studio X DHI Earth
But what is ‘unBlocking Archival Patterns’ about for the everyday Mumbaikar? “It is about breaking patterns, both literally and metaphorically,” explains Radhi Parekh, founder-director of ARTISANS’. “It features small-scale, contemporary, wearable art, created using block printing techniques using a freeform layering style. It breaks the old, repetitive block print pattern and challenges old layouts and colour schemes. Designer Indira Varma from Dhi Earth has been working on it for a while, with multiple talented artisans who make communal designs.”
An artisan works on a textile with a wood block
The exhibition showcases a limited edition offering, with over 6500 wood blocks collected in an archive by Tharangini over time. The wood blocks include motifs and imagery drawing from South India’s iconography, including florals, mythical creatures like annams (celestial birds), architectural geometrics, and the 12-part design of the Tree of Life; each has been reinterpreted via a contemporary artistic perspective.
A design titled Tamasvini patterned on a textile
We ask what is special about the process. “Handmade wood blocks are used to apply fermented plant-based paste to cloth, which is then wrapped, steamed, washed and exposed to sunlight to bring out the design,” she says. This slow process is time-consuming but avoids waste typical of industrial printing. While the handcrafted textiles are the star of the show, one can also attend a wood block printing workshop on September 14 to witness and learn the art form itself from scratch.
A model dons a textile art piece and Intricate patterns on a saree
There is also an interactive music session, named Demystifying Patterns in Indian Classical Music and Konnakol. It will be led by Dr Ambi and Bindu Subramaniam, musical prodigies and children of the celebrated violinist Dr L Subramaniam. Curious, we prod about the connection between music related and textile art. Parekh explains, “By serendipity, Padmini Govind [owner of Tharangini] knows the artistes personally; we invited them to conduct this session during the exhibition.” The rationale behind blending musical talent with block printing art is the common theme of pattern breaking — the concept is designed to break usual patterns and create new rhythms. “The exhibition features textiles made with new freeform styles of block printing; similarly, [Ambi and Bindu Subramaniam’s] session focuses on adding Konnakol, a South Indian Carnatic music form wherein rhythm is expressed in vocal syllables, to their father’s legacy,” Parekh tells us. “Think of rapping, but with monosyllables, almost like Bharatanatyam in a sense.”
(From left) Indira Varma and Bindu Subramaniam at a music video shoot. PICS COURTESY/@artisanscentre, @dhi___earth
She further explains, “The visual patterns [of block printing] are very contextual to the new musical patterns being created. Both the musical session and textile art break the mould to make something new. I thought adding music to this already vibrant exhibition would be great, where audiences get to interact with the artists too. It’s basically about breaking patterns of art to understand different patterns within art — almost like discovering a new language of it.”
ON September 11 to 16 (exhibition); September 11, 6 pm to 9 pm (preview and walkthrough); September 13, 6 pm (music session); September 14, 2 pm to 5 pm (workshop)
AT ARTISANS’ Centre, 52-56, V B Gandhi Marg, Rhythm House Lane, Kala Ghoda, Fort.
LOG ON TO @artisanscentre
ENTRY RSVP mandatory Rs 2500 (workshop)
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