Hundred Hands 2022 edition
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Floral Symphony is how A Hundred Hands, an NGO that promotes artisans and their hand-crafted products, has chosen to title their XIIIth edition.
As many as 130 artisans will present a wide assortment of arts and crafts ranging from home decor, weaves and jewellery as well as interesting creations fashioned from flower-based natural dyes and remedies distilled from floral oils.
According to Mala Dhawan, co-founder and trustee of A Hundred Hands, the event is meant to showcase different aspects of flowers. “At the same time, we wanted to focus on the importance of flowers in our environment, especially with regard to Bengaluru and its dwindling gardens. A lot of traditional motifs are floral and it is interesting to see how flowers are depicted in conventional as well as modern renditions,” she says, adding crocheted bouquets and traditional Mughal floral block prints can be seen at the stalls this year.
Hundred Hands 2022 edition
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
One of the hallmarks of A Hundred Hands is their constant search for artisans in need of a platform to showcase their craftsmanship, minus the meddlesome middlemen. “Over the years, we have discovered and supported a lot of young new artistes from remote regions of the country — some who couldn’t afford to exhibit their work outside their hometowns and those leaving home for the first time ever.”
Visitors to this year’s event can expect to find an Agaria tribal craftsman from a remote village called Silpidi in Madhya Pradesh. “They work with smelted iron and it is a dying art form in India today. There is a young chemistry student from Mandla in Madhya Pradesh creating sculptures as well as a deaf-mute Kerala mural artist,” says Mala, adding that this edition of A Hundred Hands includes rural, urban and differently-abled artisans as well as 40 first timers.
Hundred Hands 2022 edition
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Several workshops centred around the floral theme — eco-printing, shibori dyeing and making flowers from paper, wire and clay, and more — will be held during the course of the exhibition. There will also be flower-focused talks by Dr Nandita Iyer, Janaki Ramachandran and others at the event.
Floral Symphony, the annual handmade collective by A Hundred Hands is on from November 23 to 27 at Hotel Woodlands. For more information, contact Mala Dhawan at +919845008482/ a100hands@gmail.com
