Petra Czerwinske can’t hide her excitement and she eagerly looks forward to attending the wedding of a DakshinChitra staffer next week. “I got a lovely silk saree from Kalakshetra and have got a blouse stitched,” she says with childlike enthusiasm.
She adds, “I was flabbergasted by the awesome textiles I saw at Kalakshetra. Kalamkari is a unique art and I have never come across anything so brilliant before,” says Czerwinske, who teaches textile conservation at the University of Cologne, Germany.
Here as a guest faculty to teach textile conservation for students pursuing a two-year course in art conservation, she says that Indian handlooms are endangered due to impact of powerlooms, and concerted efforts only will safeguard the knowledge of weaving.
“One of the most emotional moments for me here in Chennai, was meeting an immensely talented senior master silk weaver, Kesavan. He and his wife weave Kanchivaram sarees inside Dakshinchitra. As his son is not interested in weaving, this grand old man wishes to preserve his knowledge by writing a book. I understand that in India weaving traditions are transferred from one generation to another orally, and there is no written record. This made me understand that in India, it is not only conservation of textiles that is important, but conservation of knowledge is also equally important,” says Petra.
Petra says she usually makes her students learn to spin a yarn before she goes further about conservation.
“It takes hours to spin a thread, and this will make the students understand how long it takes to weave a handloom fabric. And I never travel without this gadget called a thread counter, which helps me assess any fabric that I come across,” she says.
According to her, conserving textiles comes under two major sections: those at home and those at the museum.
She says Indian silks which are flat textiles should be ideally stored by rolling not folding. “Indian storage units could possibly be designed in such a manner so fabrics can be rolled on a wooden pole and stored. Always avoid storing in newspaper as it will result in a chemical reaction. And most importantly do not stack all your saris together in a small space. Teakwood cupboards are the best for storage of precious garments.”
She adds, “Textiles are part of our culture and it is our responsibility to preserve and conserve them. India must strive to get kalamkari art on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. I am surprised it has not yet been done,” says Czerwinske.
She adds that she has learnt more than she has taught in Chennai. And this has held true for the 25 years she has been working in conservation. “I gained a deeper knowledge about Indian weaving, and the variations in warp and weft. I was amazed to know that the country celebrates one day in a year as national handloom day. What a great idea?.” But she is concerned that in a country that has over 1000 museums, there are only few trained conservators. “India needs more number of trained conservators and it is these people who undergo scientific way of restoration, conservation and maintenance of art and artefacts, who can protect the national treasures.”
