In the year 2010, curator Katy West came on a research trip to India from Scotland to investigate the practice of Indian craftsmen. Once, she returned home, she tried to establish a connection between the vast wealth of Indian crafts with that of Scotland. She learnt that most of the textile industries in Scotland were on the decline and during the course of her research came across Turkey Red, which was a large industry in the 19th century. Turkey Red is an industrial construction of madder red (an extract made by boiling the root of the rubia plant (rubia tintorium) and unproduced cloths that was exported all over the world. India was its biggest export market. On further investigation, West learnt that the prints being developed in Glasgow were copies of the crafts she had seen during her Indian sojourn. West had seen many examples of Turkey Red being printed on affordable cottons with cheap bleaching technique and over print. She realised that these cottons were being exported to India undercutting the local craftsmen.
Genesis of a project
West decided to juxtapose this with the contemporary context and came across India Street, the remains of a factory that was once the biggest producer of Turkey Red fabrics in the world, located in West Scotland. She realised that the factory was no longer in existence due to the Swadeshi movement, changes in fashion and the introduction of cheaper, more artificial dyes. The Scottish curator then discovered the Bombay Sample Book, an industrial catalogue now in the archive of the National Museums Scotland, which recorded some of the many designs that were printed onto Turkey Red. Finally, this gave birth to the India Street Project in 2014 that aimed to highlight the importance of economical and ecological sustainability while demonstrating how contemporary designers can work ethically in a global digital age.
Seven designers from India and Scotland were invited to explore the Bombay Sample Book, respond aesthetically to the fabrics, colours and motifs in their own way and develop a more ethical way of working with manufacturers and craftsmen in India. This range of new products is now being showcased at the India Street Bazaar, currently on in the city. The designers include Sanjay Garg from Raw Mango, UK-based fashion illustrator Charlotte Linton, design director Emlyn Firth, block printer Soyab Khatri, Glasgow-based designer Gabriella Marcella, textile designer Laura Spring and textile artist Lokesh Ghai.
West says, “We chose designers who were interested in where their materials came from and the ethics behind having being commissioned the designs. We wanted them to build a connection with the material and the process. I was interested in designers who love colour because the Bombay Sample Book is very colourful and focuses on graphic sensibility.”
As a curator, West ensured that she maintained an open curatorial approach by giving the designers a free reign. “I challenged them but ensured that they maintained their own approach and practice. The brief for them was to look at the Turkey Red sample books at the National Museum of Scotland. One of them was the Bombay Sample Book from 1867, so we used this as the starting point. We also explored Colours of the Nation an academic research that talks about Turkey Red. The connection between the demise of Turkey Red and the rise of swadeshi was interesting,” she adds. That’s precisely the reason India Street is touring first in Mumbai and then at Conflictorium in Ahmedabad to mark India’s 70th year of independence.
All the designers have used the Turkey Red in its full glory and supported it with Indian motifs. While Garg has used monkey motifs on handkerchiefs, Linton showcases parakeets in her pyjamas while Marcella has infused motifs of dancing ladies.
Designer speak
Ghai, who is the co-curator and one of the artists in the project, played a crucial role in introducing West to the different craft heritage in India as he works at a grass root level with craftsmen in Kutch and Ahmedabad.. What attracted him to the project was its cultural aspect. “We looked at the new ways that could take the common heritage shared between India and Scotland and connect it with the present. I chose red colour as a narrative and its deep importance in the Indian culture. It’s an auspicious colour for the bride, the bindi , the sindoor , tilak and even the sacred thread that we tie around our wrists that brings good luck.”
Based on this idea, Ghai started picking things from his mother’s kitchen and began making these permutations and combinations of playful patterns using chillies, rajma beans etc. “I chose to work on quilt as I wanted to explore sustainability through an upcycled product,” he shares. He hand stitched the quilt along with his mother from old saris and used motifs of the chilli bean flowers. Later, he made a stole with patterns of chilies on one side and flowers on the other side. He explains, “The constraint of the project was to design less. So, the idea was to slow down, think , reflect and appreciate the turkey red heritage and then work on it.”
On her part, Radhi Parekh, founder of Artisans’, found the story compelling and invited six Indian designers and artisans, working with madder red in quilting, bandhani, handloom and Ajrakh-block print to respond to the Indian Street Bazaar and the story of Turkey Red. She says, “The story is connected with the colonial history which in turn is deeply related to the history of the crafts movement in India. Swadeshi was really about reinvigorating craft as a way of expressing your freedom. This exhibition is a wonderful opportunity to educate the audiences about an important part of textile history.”
India Street Bazaar is ongoing at Artisans’, Kala Ghoda, until November 12
