{"id":96859,"date":"2022-07-17T09:26:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-17T07:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magikindia.com\/?p=96859"},"modified":"2022-07-18T10:56:21","modified_gmt":"2022-07-18T08:56:21","slug":"les-arts-de-la-region-de-kutch-gujarat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magikindia.com\/en\/les-arts-de-la-region-de-kutch-gujarat\/","title":{"rendered":"The Arts of Kutch Region, Gujarat"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bordered by Pakistan and Rajasthan, Kutch is an ancient land that takes its name from its turtle-like geographical features (Kachchh in Gujarati). This region has developed its artistic richness by integrating the knowledge and traditions of the myriad of communities that have settled there since Antiquity: Rabari, Jats, Ahir, Meghwal, Sodhas, to name a few. In addition, due to the existence of major ports (Mandvi in particular), Kutch was once the epicenter of maritime trade, which extended from Central Asia to the west coast of Africa and India via the Middle East. This trade route also brought its share of outside influences to the Kutch region.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Embroidery,<\/strong> the quintessential art of Kutch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Embroidery is certainly the most emblematic craft of the Kutch region and mainly the Abhla, which incorporates small round mirrors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Paako style embroidery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Originally, the art of embroidery, transmitted from mother to daughter, served a purely utilitarian purpose: embroidered garments were essentially intended for the bride’s trousseau.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This art is now exported all over the world and many renowned designers are inspired by it for their own creations; this is the case of Aratrik Dev Varman from the Tilla studio in Ahmedabad.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Designers are inspired by traditional Kutch embroidery like Aratrik Dev Varman| Photo : Tilla<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We can say that there are as many styles of embroidery in Kutch as there are peoples, about twenty. They reflect membership in a community and the status of individuals within this same group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rabaris embroiderers from the Pabiben “team” (see the article on Rabaris) | Photo : pabiben.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Thus, the Rabaris<\/a><\/strong> women use the chain stitch and the inclusion of small round mirrors to create brightly colored geometric patterns inspired by their semi-nomadic life and ancestral myths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lady from the Meghwal community trying to sell us some of her creations \ud83d\ude09<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As for the Meghwal<\/a><\/strong> women, they use the “paako” style or buttonhole stitch with the incorporation there too of small mirrors. The patterns of the paako are mainly floral and arranged symmetrically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Meghwal ladies embroidering a plaid<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ajrakh,<\/strong> the block printing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Ajrakh craftsmen in a small village around Bhuj showing the wooden blocks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ajrakh is also a very popular craft in Kutch. Generally concentrated in Ajrakhpur, we also find this art in small villages scattered here and there near Bhuj (prefer these small artisans).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It consists of printing repetitive patterns on a fabric using carved wooden blocks soaked in ink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The “boss” of an Ajrakh workshop near Bhuj<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The art is very old. It dates back to the civilizations of the Indus<\/a>, nearly 3,000 years BC. However, this printing technique particularly flourished under the patronage of kings in the 12th century of our era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Textile printed using Ajrakh technique with natural inks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is a demanding job, no less than twenty steps<\/strong> are necessary until the final printing of a fabric. This involves, among other things, the careful carving of the matrix (the wooden block), the preparation of inks traditionally made from natural pigments, the manual application of the blocks to the cotton fabric and soaking, rinsing and drying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Application of the ink with the wooden block<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Batik,<\/strong> block printing with wax<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Batik, like Ajrakh, is a woodblock printing technique. The major difference here is the use of hot wax on the blocks instead of the usual ink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The craftsman applies the hot wax which will delimit the dyeing areas (Mundra workshop)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The principle of Batik consists in protecting areas of the fabric against staining by delimiting them with hot wax. The fabric is then soaked in several successive dye baths until the desired color is obtained. At the final stage, the wax is removed by soaking in boiling water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another pattern (Mundra workshop)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This type of printing, which is also found in Indonesia and Africa, gives a “cracked” and textured effect to the fabric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A fabric using the Batik technique with a natural indigo color (Mundra workshop)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Batik fabrics<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Bela<\/strong>, an endangered form of block printing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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