Community Couture has received the Crafting Futures Digital Collaboration Grant to launch ‘Make A Mark’, a United Kingdom – India collaboration. The project aims to bring the selected 16 participants: students, practitioners from the United Kingdom and India and a minimum of 6 Artisans from Rajasthan, India to explore what it means to make a mark using digital media and analogue craft.
All participants, along with the artisans: Kota Doria fabric-weaver, Sanganer block-maker-block-printer, Barmer applique craftswomen, pattern-cutter and tailor, will illustrate their marks, which then will be used to create a one-off garment representing the experiences of the people who made it. The final garment will be available to rent. Loaning the piece will enable the wearer to learn about the stories it conveys. It will be accompanied by digital resources capturing its production process.
This six-month-long project initiated by Aniela Fidler Wieruszewska and Megha Chauhan kicked off with selected participants who responded to the open call. The participants range from fashion and communication design students, fashion and textile designers and other practitioners. The participants are: Priyanka Borar, Shailly Dave, Apoorva Dudeja, Vanshika Gandhi, Ipsita Kurikala, Ashna Patel, Pinkal Patel, Morag Seaton, Nikhil Shankar, Hena Sharma, Manik Sharma, Aishwarya Shyamkumar, Suneptula S Jamir, Ali Simmons, Grace Thompson and Navneet Virk. The organisers coordinate the project with continuous support from design researchers and practitioners Grace Lister and Suman Bhandary. We will disclose a complete list of Indian artisan’s names and participant’s extended roles at the later project stage.
Award: Crafting Futures Digital Collaboration Grant, funded by British Council