Crafting Communities

Creativity as a catalyst for future change

SUMMARY
The project repositions craft as an important system for sustainable futures. It inquires how storytelling in crafts can bring about conversations of aspirations, representation and ideas of sustainability at a community level. The project took place with the women makers in the villages of Dzongu and Chuba in the state of Sikkim.

Agenda

Co-creation

Developing thought as well as material processes to enable women in craft to conceptualise and materialise their ideas.

Systems Approach

Mapping contexts to understand how 'making in crafts' is linked to larger systems of materials, ecology, folklore and human resilience.

Value Addition

First time documentation and material representation of uncovered stories of communities that explore potential value increasing avenues.

A project with many dimensions -
+ methods, + interactions and + futures.

Brainstorming

Mind-mapping to devise strategies to approach the project keeping in mind the context, design principles, challenges and most importantly, the philosophy of the project : the user is the primary stakeholder

Finalising on the process.

+ Inevitabilities

+ Challenges

+ Contingency Plans

+ Continuous R&D

+ Prototyping

+ Going up the Design Ladder

+ Building teams and experiences

Thinking In Material

How might we develop tools
& processes to
think better
with material ?

Designing 'hard' and 'soft' methods to trigger design sensibilities in first time makers in Sikkim.

Workshops

Why do we need to tell our stories ?

Decoding clan stories and conversations in Dzongu

How can we tell our stories?

Workshop on important tools of livelihood - discussion and doodle

How might we inculcate design thinking in people in a familiar manner ?

Understanding the context of the people, surroundings, possible areas of intervention, local tools and processes that could be incorporated in design education.

Co-creating
new knowledge
for local contexts

+ Building a library of colours

+ Colour matrix 48 tints and shades from 7 colours

+ Recording new Nomenclature based on regional experiences.

Monkey Leader

Monkey

Gudhaas

Neela

Aakash

Seti

CHEJELO

On the Block :
Market Analysis

The Collection was exhibited at Desi Oon 2023 in December at the Triveni Kala Sangam Delhi and Bharat Textiles 2024 in February at Yashoobhoomi Centre.

The project successfully catered to and welcomed interest from potential clients from brands, artists, architects, export houses in Delhi, Japan and Europe.