Kinara

The print collection ‘Kinara’ is an attempt to encapsulate the calm and relaxing personality and spiritual nature of Allahabad, a city in India and the place I was born and brought up in and creating a photographic and illustrated collection by adapting the life of its inhabitants.

A city greatly influences the minds and souls of its people, even long after they’ve left. They shape our memories, help us identify our comforts and our dislikes. There is one that is laid back, always has been, for years. Allahabad is always hopeful and calm.

Some of it has to do with the Sangam (joining ) of the holy rivers Yamuna and Ganga and the traditional yearly fest ‘The Kumbh’ in the city. It’s mostly because the very essence of the city lies in its spiritual nature.

The holy wisdom that is the by-product of art and spirituality is not clear and thin like the river water but thick and dark with blood.

A sacred space is perceived by most as an external place only. This city reminds them that sacred space is an internal place as well.

There is a man. A man who hails from many lands, yet hails from none . This man has many names, none that anyone remembers. He knows many languages, languages that none can speak.

The very essence of the city lies in its spiritual nature. The laid back life of the city.

It surely must be heaven, For to sleep with a dog, by the fields on a glorious afternoon must be heaven. The potential of the universe lies exactly where we are in the moment.

The calm of still waters, empty boats floating where the time stands still with the silence.

A man who is lost in a pool of emotions from the blues and the rage within.

Splash of colours in the grey life.

Sampling

Wild Retreat

The relationship between man and nature is a delicate balance that has been at the forefront of human consciousness since the beginning of time. It is this complex and intricate relationship that serves as the inspiration for a new print collection that weaves together the biblical concept of 7 days of creation with the reality of human impact on the environment.

This collection takes a quirky and thought-provoking approach to exploring the relationship between God and man's creation, and how it has changed over time. The prints depict the gradual changes in human lifestyles, and the drastic effects that these changes have had on the natural world.

The concept behind the collection is to convey a message about the invasion of human lifestyles into the wild, and how it has resulted in a shift in the environment. However, the prints also illustrate how humans inevitably reach back to nature whenever they need a break from the monotony of daily life. The message of the collection is clear: it is time to save what we have instead of creating an artificial illusion of the same. The prints serve as a reminder that we must work to protect the environment, and strive to maintain a balance between man and nature.

As we look at the prints in this collection, we are forced to confront the reality of the impact that our lifestyles have had on the environment. However, we are also inspired to take action and make changes that will help to preserve and protect the natural world.

The Story

“In the beginning there was nothing. Nothing but the silence of infinite darkness, And.....a”

A giraffe doesn’t think about his purpose in the grand scheme of things. He has nothing to say, for he has no vocal cords. He just goes about giraffing in both light and in darkness.

“On the third day of creation, the earth put forth the green. All grasses, seeds, trees and all that was green came to being.”

“Then came evening. And then morning. A fifth day.” Upon came all remaining creatures. Everything that creeps and everything that crawls.

“Let the earth bring forth the living creatures. Finally God made man in his own image, And that began Adam’s very own lineage.”

Day six of creation. And then came Adam. Creation was completed in their vast array.

So God rested on the very seventh day. He blessed the day and made it holy, And that was the close of the creation story.

God rested and gave away his creation to his image. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth

It is also important to learn from animals, for they are there to teach us the way of life. These ‘beings of the green’ are constantly teaching us about ourselves and the universe.

These gradually increase in their complexity to excel in their life. Busy in their mundane life, animals providing the much needed break to the human life.

The animals became the part of the busy concrete life of the humankind.

The lessons were learned from their companions the constant positive made a come in.

In conclusion, the print collection is a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of the relationship between man and nature. It serves as a reminder of the delicate balance that exists between the two, and the importance of protecting the environment for future generations. As we admire these prints, let us be inspired to take action and work towards a more sustainable future.

Sea Through

Sea Through is a unique and innovative project that aims to celebrate the beauty of sea life through the art of oriental crafts. Inspired by the reconstructed legacy trend, the project seeks to elevate the traditional craft of oriental latticework by incorporating it into designs featuring sea creatures such as fish and crustaceans.

The idea behind Sea Through is to create a series of stunning works of art that not only showcases the intricate beauty of the sea life but also highlight the delicate and intricate details of the oriental latticework. By bringing these two elements together, the project aims to create a unique and visually stunning aesthetic that celebrates the natural world's beauty while honouring the traditional art of oriental crafts.

The project employs a range of techniques and materials, including laser cutting, etching, and intricate handcrafted details, to bring the designs to life. The use of these techniques and materials not only enhances the visual appeal of the artworks but also ensures that each piece is unique and one-of-a-kind.

One of the key features of Sea Through is the play of negative and positive space that creates a sense of depth and dimensionality in the designs. This play of negative and positive space is achieved through the use of the latticework, which creates a delicate and intricate framework that enhances the natural beauty of the sea creatures.

Overall, Sea Through is a project that celebrates the beauty of sea life and the traditional art of oriental crafts. By bringing these two elements together, the project creates a unique and visually stunning, captivating, and thought-provoking aesthetic. Whether viewed as individual pieces or as a larger collection, the artworks of Sea Through are sure to inspire and delight all those who encounter them.

Think of Judy

Think of Judy is a reflection of the poem, imagine a women in terms of how we are trying our best to push ourselves to be the best version of ourselves and how every women is a goddess in herself. Think of Judy is the story which will reflects upon the phrases of the poem Imagine a woman by Patricia Lynn Reilly.

The whole story came up to the highlight when the trend spotting lead to the idea of body positivity in the market. From merchandising idea to product range every company is trying to expand their product range for all the body types and skin colours.

Using the idea, the market study was done for plus size market specifically for the trend spotting of silhouettes and designs where the trend spoke majorly about graphic abstract prints and silhouettes of boxy fits, blazer trend and shirts. After following the trend of body positivity and catering the plus size market, the idea of making prints for women and about women came up. The plus size women usually prefer wear prints as it helps the body imagery in general by creating an illusion of curves and flattering their bodies in the best way possible.

Think of Judy is a story telling about a women and the journey of acceptance on their body and loving the flaws. Thinking of judy is an image of a women that we imagine as the best version of a woman, Judy. The inspiration is taken from the poem, "Imagine a women" which speaks about visiualising a perfect women who accepts and loves herself and enjoys being a women. The idea is too illustrate the poets imagery in abstrat and simplified version of women following the trend of abstract and bold prints with illustrated imageries.

The trend of poetic typography is interpreted in a beautiful twist of emotion depicting drawings. The colour palatte followed is also picked up from the major trend colours used in the plus size market recently. Using the major trend of body positivity movement in the fashion and how the drive of acceptance is a trend will be the major idea of making prints which shows diversity among women and their qualities. Beauty for all strategy is about the acceptance of women imagery and Think of Judy speaks about giving power and a sense of boldness to a women through her clothing by making something that she is comfortable in like her skin.

Khub Bhalo

Calcutta, the city of joy - This is a city known by many names and coloured in as many hues. The capital of british India, Kolkata, is a beautiful collage of the english imperial culture and the traditional Bengali way of life, inspired and interspreads with all the elements of a modern metropolis.

If we dwell deeper, bereft of pre-concieved judgements the experiences is sure to be one that will leave a deep impact on you, for Kolkata is a city to be felt, heard and smelled, as much as it is to be seen.

Final Concepts

The main concept of the theme was the wire poles and the yellow taxi pattern which was inspired by the first two eyecatching things as soon as you step inside the city of Calcutta, The sky view above you will have the entangled wires more than the clear blue sky. The yellow ambassador taxi has always been the highlight of the city and also is the major colour pop of the city roads.

Atypical Tenderness

Atypical tenderness means the unique tenderness of a woman who is sensitive, unique, delicate, emotional and a support. The product is made with the concept of a strong yet tender looking surfaces and designs.

The idea of using a Iris as a form was to show the tendrness of a woman metaphorically.

The product materials were sourced keeping the idea in mind that the material looks sublte and tender but is stury and strong, this the fabric used for all the products of the project are cotton silk fabrics, Khadi fabric and Cotton.

The fabric is hand printed by a self made block and the embroidery is hand done.

Quilted Embriodery - Inspired by Kantha

Earthborn Impulse

Earthborn impulse is a story of human life and a tree which show a beautiful journey of the growth and emotional connect, starting from the womb to the new born child and a growing seed. It show the essence of the feeling a mother feels and the connection of the child with mother emotionally and physically. The colour palette is choosen to keep the colours of human skin and a new born plant growing through the soil.

The fabric manipulation is done to depict the blooming process of a flower, as in the child of the mother plant same way how a human child is born and blooms into a growing being.

The manipulation of pleats show the everday process of the changing body of a woman. The curves show an uneven pleating representing the unpredictable life of an expecting mother same way how a plant grows and blooms in it’s circumstances.

The cording fabric manipulation shows the months of pregnancy and the change in the baby bump of the mother. Here, the growing curves show the last few months.

Ideation and Sampling

Mellow Greens

The theme mellow greens means the matured trees and the life of a tree. The product is inspired by the different stages of the aging of a tree. The fist stage is shown by the velvet fabric potraying the delicate texture of a sapling.

The second stage of a fully grown plant with flowers and leaves are shown through the usage of a floral upholstery fabric. The last stage is shown by the textured fabric which shows the bark texture of a fully grown tree. The colour palatte was grey to show the maturity key of the theme.

Sedmenting Contour

Tap into a natural direction with rippling lines and organic contours that call to mind stones and geological strata. Creating dynamic patterns with contours that mimic nature’s curves and lines.

Colours range from the sandstone rock colours and earthy pinks for a richer warmer look. Linear patterns and ombre designs both are played in the story. The step by step representation is done of the sedmentating of rocks in the story and the play is of colours are a major drive of the story.

THE WEATHERING

THE EROSION

THE SPLIT AND MERGE

THE GRAINY PARTICLES

THE TRANSPORTATION

THE DESPOSITION

THE COMPACTATION

THE CEMENTATION

Contemporarised Embroidered Bags

A contemporary take on the traditional embroidery of India, Kasuti and Fez embroidery of Morocco. Both the embroideries follow a similar visual language. Kasuti and Fez both are counted thread embroidery and follows simple straight and cross stitches.

For this particular piece, I have opted the visual context of both and tried to contemporize it with using velvet fabric which is not essentially woven. The product was made to combine two very different cultures and find a common ground between them and yet make it look modern.

The theme flimsy crayola means delicate pastels and the inspiration for the design was Matilda from the movie Leon. The crayola or colours of the life of Matilda and the last scene of her planting the plant on the ground and acknowledging her love for Leon is shown through the florals around the potrait.

This sling bag was made for people who like a safe paced life with a routine. The design and colour of the bag is such that it can carry your essentials and can be a go to with every outfit. The colours were choosen keeping a everyday life product mood.

Amaant

Ilkal was an ancient weaving center where the weaving seems to have started in the 8th century AD. The growth of these sarees is attributed to the patronage provided by the local chieftains in and around the town of Bellary. The most down to earth yet vibrant colors are seen in traditional saree of Ilkal. Ilkal is a small town, located in the South- East part of Bagalkot district,North Karnataka, India.

Weaving of Ilkal sarees is mostly an indoor activity. It is essentially a household enterprise involving active participation of female members.

A team of 30 students divided into 3 groups travelled to Ilkal village to live with the weavers and help them grow their business and craft by helping them with new designs and colours yet respecting the authenticity of the craft, Ilkal saree.

Two weavers, one on a natural dyed warp and one on a synthetic dyed warp handloom were assigned to the team to develop their digital designs into samples while interacting with the villagers and the team.

The language barrier being an issue still made things a little hard but we all understood the difficulties faced by a daily wage weaver in the country.