Coinciding with Rajyotsava day this year, The Handmade Collective –III aims to bring back into focus the local crafts, foods and lesser known side of Karnataka. A side where the traditional and the modern stand side by side, the Cantonment and the City-facing sides co-exist in Bangalore, but more importantly aims in bringing back the sense of community that Bangalore was so famous for.
Integrating Hase chitra with tribal arts from Mexico
From delicate Kasuti Embroidery of North Karnataka on trendy clutch purses to Bright Channapatna Lacquerware on modern household products like kitchen towel holders and bedside lamps to Khadi weaves from Melkotte transformed into Kurtis to Lambani Embroidery of the tribals of Sandur showcased side by side with the stunning white metal tribal jewelry from Bijapur to the famous handwoven Ilkal Saris and more- all designed for today’s modern woman. Pre Diwali tealights and Diyas from Shivarpatna showcase the beautiful stone sculpting, typical of Karnataka, Banana Fibre offerings for modern homes created by the disabled youth in Sirsi, while Hase Chitra Mud paintings from Shimoga celebrate the earthiness of Karnataka.
“Discover Karnataka” also includes a look back in time with Old Bangalore captured by city artist Paul Fernandes. Prabha Narayan’s paintings portray the flora and fauna of Karnataka exquisitely painted emphasis the natural heritage of the state.
An interesting array of Books on Bangalore and Karnataka are also on display ranging from Mahesh Bhat’s Bengaluru-Bangalore to Aditi De’s collection – Multiple City.
Lungis from Melkotte tranformed into sarongs
Discover Karnataka is also celebrated by most of the members of The Handmade Collective (including those from other states) offer interesting twists to the Karnataka Section like Mughal Miniature artist, Mohan Kumar complementing his art with the Mysore Style of Painting, Traditional Hase Chitra Artist Radhakrishna integrating tribal art symbols from Kenya and Mexico into his Mud Painting, Vinayak Gudigar from Sirsi uses wood carving techniques to intricately sculpt mud Ganeshas, Tara Aslam innovating with the khadi lungis of the weaving community in Melkotte to create simple, elegant garments. Ram Soni showcasing some Trees of Karnataka in his award winning Sanjhi Paper Cutting style, the mighty elephant in Gond style by Venkat Shyam and Sonia Dhawan’s range of Granny Gregs’ Balms with recipes using local herbs like Citronella and Eucalyptus. These intertwining of cultures only emphasizes how embracing Karnataka is to all influences creating a blend special and unique.
Other craftspersons from Karnataka include the Womens SHG groups of The Belaku Trust from Kanakpura with Block Printing and handmade Paper, The Mentally Challenged Training Centre Diya Foundation, Bangalore, Sari weavers from Kodiyala, Paper Crafts and others.
Supporting Discover Karnataka is Tata Coffee’s Plantation Trails.
Karnataka Foods. A demo a day!
The Homemade food stalls this year will also focus on Interesting Karnataka foods- with mouth watering specials from Coorg, Mangalore, North Karnataka, Bangalore, Mysore This section is very special to all visitors as it, promises to bring back the warm sense of community that makes Interesting Bangalore.
Special recipes and traditional goodies with pickles, pappads, jams and jellies from home kitchens will all be on sale.
The highlight is the Kitchen Pharmacy of the medicinal herbs of Karnataka that can be used in cooking, to keep everyone healthy and happy.
In addition to the Interesting Karnataka Section, there over 30 artisans and groups working with different media like paper, glass, mud, vegetable dyes, ahimsa silk, khadi weaves, crochet , macramé, terracotta and many more are expected to participate in the event.
Fine Kasuti work
Trendy clothes and accessories using traditional arts like Mughal Block Printing from Rajasthan Shadow Work from Gujarat , Zardosi work, Bengal Emboridery, Crochet and handweaves from the length and breadth of India will delight the trendy. For the house proud the range is virtually limitless from award winning art for the walls to beautifully finished home accessories including the traditional Kilm dhurries of Mirzapur. A common thread of Age Old Craft with A contemporary twist.
Terrariums and Potted plants alongside Recycled Glass Plant Holders and Terracotta Bird Baths promise to add delight to those looking for ways to brighten up their Gardens.
The Handmade Collective will be on from October 31st to 4th Nov. 11.00 am to 7.30 pm at No 4, Ashley Road, Behind Hotel Ajanta, Off Brunton Road, Bangalore 560 025.
The Handmade Collective is not just a bazaar but a collective of people who thrive on creating by hand interacting directly with people who appreciate the workmanship and beauty of handcrafted products.
Contemporary Channapatna
With demonstrations and workshops scheduled throughout the 5 days, from Children to Adults this is no cold “buy and sell” commercial platform but an enriching, educative experience that sets apart the handcrafted from the mass produced and everyone goes back richer from the show. Details of the programme will be on www.ahundredhands.com
About A Hundred Hands
A Hundred Hands, is a not for profit trust whose primary focus is to provide a platform for artists involved in the creation of contemporary, handcrafted alternatives for our daily lives. Launched by sisters Mala and Sonia Dhawan, the mission of the Trust is to help artisans earn a fair and sustainable livelihood from their work.
A Hundred Hands is driven by the four I’s:
- Innovate: Evolve and reinvent products, designs, mediums and experiences
- Interact: Participate! Encourage young people to develop a love of working with their hands and older ones to develop or reignite a hobby.
- Inform: Build sensitivity and appreciation not only for the end result of handmade work but also the process and effort involved.
- Include: Transcend social and economic barriers to build a community of artists and like-minded individuals.
A Hundred Hands, now exactly two years old, has been well received across all walks of life. It runs a membership programme for small artists and communities to help them become economically viable and provide a community backbone. Today, the trust has over 40 members, a diverse representation including from underserved and challenged communities, all coming together to help make a living and promote the joy of handcrafted. The overwhelming success of The Handmade Collective, last year and the membership programme has been most encouraging.