Explore chintz, Chennai, and climate change through a Kalamkari lens at DakshinaChitra

Explore chintz, Chennai, and climate change through a Kalamkari lens at DakshinaChitra

Chintz prints from Rijksmuseum | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement The walls of DakshinaChitra’s Varija Gallery are vibrant with different iterations of kalamkari, from fabric to graphic design. What emerged as a form of dyeing fabrics in Masulipatnam has been rebirthed by four artists whose work has come together to create the exhibition, Travelling Patterns. Walking […]

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Chintz Muslin and the Forgotten Queen, an exhibition of textiles of a bygone era, in Kochi

Chintz Muslin and the Forgotten Queen, an exhibition of textiles of a bygone era, in Kochi

Did you know that Dhaka is not the only place that produces muslin? Or that in Santipur, West Bengal, there is a way to starching yarn that turns the threads “as stiff as a bone”? These are some of the textile stories that regale visitors at Chintz Muslin and the Forgotten Queen, an ongoing exhibition […]

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NMACC showcase: From beetle wings to chintz, India’s gift to global fashion

NMACC showcase: From beetle wings to chintz, India’s gift to global fashion

A little over 150 years ago, over 30,000 hand cut and mounted samples of Indian textiles were painstakingly organised into an album series to educate and inspire commercial and design industries in India and Britain. Its creator, John Forbes Watson, called them ‘trade museums’. Watson would have been pleased to walk around the ‘India in […]

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‘Inspired by India’ | The book explores India’s imprint on global fashion

‘Inspired by India’ | The book explores India’s imprint on global fashion

From Louis XIV’s vision for Versailles to Balenciaga’s homage to the sari, Inspired by India explores how our textiles and craft impacted global design. But what’s the line between cultural appropriation and appreciation? From Louis XIV’s vision for Versailles to Balenciaga’s homage to the sari, Inspired by India explores how our textiles and craft impacted […]

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