QUEEN'S ROAD: The sixth edition of Handmade Collective, an event that brings together artisans from across the country, will be on the theme ‘science and art’.
It covers the various geometric patterns in weaving or Kasuti embroidery, the bio-chemical processes involved in making soaps and the chemical reactions of mixing paints that result in vibrant hues, among others. The mathematics, chemistry, biology and physics involved in art, as Mala Dhawan, co-founder of the organising trust A Hundred Hands, puts it.
“Last year, we explored the theme of poetry and art -- the local poetry from across the country, where the artists hail from,” she says. “This year, it’s science in art, and we would like to keep at it. In a country where the education system views the sciences and the arts as two separate streams, we wanted to bridge both.”
Some of the 80 participating artists, all part of an annual programme by the trust that lets them reach out to consumers commission-free, will perform demos across five days, starting Wednesday. A highlight of this section is a ‘Get Your Hands Dirty’ kids’ special by Innovation and Science Promotion Foundation best known for Arvind Gupta Toys.
“Just yesterday, someone from Chennai called,” says Mala, a business consultant for branding. “She’s a retired school principal, and wants to show how origami can be used to teach mathematics.”
The organisers believe the event will be education for different sets of people: “The artists because they rarely get to feel the pulse of the market and innovate accordingly, and the consumers because they usually don’t pay attention to which artist’s products they pick up.”
For Mala and her team too, this has been a learning experience, she says. “We’ve had people volunteering, and each of them bring their own value addition to it, their own way of looking at things,” she says.
She clarifies that Handmade Collective is not a flea market. “It’s as far from it as possible. It’s a serious art and craft event, and we’re hoping other groups and voluntary organisations will be interested in tying up with us.”
Handmade Collective, 11 am to 7 pm from Wednesday to Sunday, at The United Theological College, Millers Road