Crafting
Communities
Creativity as a catalyst for future change
The project repositions craft as an important system for sustainable futures. It inquires how storytelling in crafts can bring about conversations of aspirations, representation and ideas of sustainability at a community level. The project took place with the women makers in the villages of Dzongu and Chuba in the state of Sikkim.
+ Craft for the future, Systems Thinking, Thinking In Material
+ Echostream Pvt. Ltd. Sikkim.
+ 11 months
Agenda
Co-creation
Developing thought as well as material processes to enable women in craft to conceptualise and materialise their ideas.
Systems Approach
Mapping contexts to understand how 'making in crafts' is linked to larger systems of materials, ecology, folklore and human resilience.
Value Addition
First time documentation and material representation of uncovered stories of communities that explore potential value increasing avenues.
A project with many dimensions -
+ methods, + interactions and + futures.
Brainstorming
.jpg)
Mind-mapping to devise strategies to approach the project keeping in mind the context, design principles, challenges and most importantly, the philosophy of the project.
.jpg)
Finalising on the process.
​
+ Inevitabilities
+ Challenges
+ Contingency Plans
​
+ Continuous R&D
+ Prototyping
+ Going up the Design Ladder
+ Building teams and experiences
Thought Experimentation
How and why do we need to understand aspirations of the people in craft ?
Research and Development of tools, workshops and exercises to come up with interesting future propositions.
Workshops
Why do we need to tell our stories ?
Decoding clan stories and conversations in Dzongu
Workshop on important tools of livelihood - discussion and doodle
How can we tell our stories?
Thinking In Material
How might we develop tools
& processes to
think better
with material ?
Designing 'hard' and 'soft' methods to trigger design sensibilities in first time makers in Sikkim.
To- Done List
About 13 workshops conducted in Chuba and Dzongu ranging from
​
Developing nomenclature,
Colour matrix,
Composition,
Sketching
and other Material Techniques.
​
As well as softer aspects like
Aspirations,
Emotional Durability,
Future Box
Clan Stories
Pleasures of Daily life
Futures of Chuba and Dzongu
How might we inculcate design thinking in people in a familiar manner ?
Understanding the context of the people, surroundings, possible areas of intervention, local tools and processes that could be incorporated in design education.
Co-creating
new knowledge
for local contexts
+ Building a library of colours
​
+ Colour matrix 48 tints and shades from 7 colours
​
+ Recording new Nomenclature based on regional experiences.
Monkey Leader
Monkey
Gudhaas
Neela
Aakash
Seti
Initial Explorations
.png)
Designing with Light and Material
Initial Explorations
Initial Explorations
.png)
The Final Cut
Let's go
Back to
the Future
What would you take forward from your today to your tomorrow?
​
Translating insights into visual and material.
Exhibitions
On the Block :
Market Analysis
The Collection was exhibited at Desi Oon 2023 in December at the Triveni Kala Sangam Delhi and Bharat Textiles 2024 in February at Yashoobhoomi Centre.
​
The project successfully catered to and welcomed interest from potential clients from brands, artists, architects, export houses in Delhi, Japan and Europe.
Behind The Scenes
Research
Techniques
Tools
Challenges
What Ifs
People
