This project traces potent memories from my childhood and adulthood that led me to the world of traditional Indian textiles, and consequently to my first saree. I attempt to visualise the omnipresent motif of the saree and other cultural instances that inculcated in me an appreciation for my Indian identity.

 

The work is an autobiography and biography at the same time, as on the reverse side is the story of my first saree—a block print from Bagru on a silk/cotton base. The intention was to anthropomorphise the saree, trace its history in a similar way to mine, and afford it agency in its own right. That block-prints existed in several different forms and changed over time to arrive at their present state in my saree, acknowledges the meeting point where textile and human histories collide and begin to co-exist. 

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The final illustrations were screen-printed in six layers on both sides of a scroll. The scroll was then folded to emulate a ‘worn’ saree, indicating the existence of stories within its folds.

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This project is a work in progress.