At the women rights awareness workshop organised by the NGO Aalochana in 2015, I did an art intervention project titled ‘Unwrapped’. The project was aimed at ‘how can reading a visual can open up personal stories without the reservations. The participating women were from less privileged economic backgrounds and many of them belonged to Dalit communities. There was a group of quilter women, who used to make traditional handstitched quilts from old used fabrics/rags, known as Godhadi. The project ‘Unwrapped’ built common feminist grounds for discussions and helped us to bond. The interactions continued even after workshop and collaboration with them became so organic.
This age-old beautiful craft of recycling fabrics is still so relevant and hold its importance in the age of fast fashion and Anthropocene. Yet I wanted this collaboration as a ‘CREATIVE BARTER SYSTEM’ where I could help them for their goal of financial independence and set up their business, and they inspire me with their life experiences and beautiful artisanship. This led us to five year long social entrepreneurial project ‘Quilt Culture’.
Usually, women gather at one’s house to make godhadi. This space and the process of godhadi making creates grounds for intimate experiences sharing. Being a part of this intimate space, allowed me to closely experience the vulnerable situation of women within the social fabric of India, with its precarious elements of strong patriarchal values and caste system. It further contributed to my textile art installations that moves seamlessly into social practice. The process of creating artworks utilizes the inherent participatory nature of craft-based media as a trigger for social engagement and change.
The intention of Quilt Culture is to challenge the capitalist top-down model, by following an egalitarian collaborative creative process, where all the women equally contribute to owning and running the business. The financial independence gained through this project helps in generating a sense of identity, awareness, and confidence. Having this twofold approach to Quilt Culture, my works oscillates between the global creative economic systems and intensity of the stories of quilter women in their precarious socio-cultural contexts.
This age-old beautiful craft of recycling fabrics is still so relevant and hold its importance in the age of fast fashion and Anthropocene. Yet I wanted this collaboration as a ‘CREATIVE BARTER SYSTEM’ where I could help them for their goal of financial independence and set up their business, and they inspire me with their life experiences and beautiful artisanship. This led us to five year long social entrepreneurial project ‘Quilt Culture’.
Usually, women gather at one’s house to make godhadi. This space and the process of godhadi making creates grounds for intimate experiences sharing. Being a part of this intimate space, allowed me to closely experience the vulnerable situation of women within the social fabric of India, with its precarious elements of strong patriarchal values and caste system. It further contributed to my textile art installations that moves seamlessly into social practice. The process of creating artworks utilizes the inherent participatory nature of craft-based media as a trigger for social engagement and change.
The intention of Quilt Culture is to challenge the capitalist top-down model, by following an egalitarian collaborative creative process, where all the women equally contribute to owning and running the business. The financial independence gained through this project helps in generating a sense of identity, awareness, and confidence. Having this twofold approach to Quilt Culture, my works oscillates between the global creative economic systems and intensity of the stories of quilter women in their precarious socio-cultural contexts.