A five-metre cotton Dhonekhali scroll with applique work done by almost 70 craftspeople from Bengal is at the Blackburn Museum in Liverpool for display.
The scroll was the outcome of a UK-India collaboration called Crafting Future.
The Hooghly chapter of the Indian National Trust for Architecture, Craft and Heritage (Intach), along with the University of Liverpool, collaborated to create this community-based craft that highlights the perils faced by the environment, community and their craft-based livelihood because of climate change. The scroll depicts the river Ganga as the last refuge for the threatened local flora and fauna. Titled “Five Feet Under Ma Ganga”, the scroll depicts Ganga as a mother with the living species as her children clinging to her.
Ankita Chakrabarti, the lead artist, said: “We had about 70 women working on the artwork. We held three workshops where we trained the women in fabric painting. We supplied them with materials and colours. The first workshop was held at Chandernagore with about ten participants. The second was organised at Singur Government College and the third at Mominpore in Calcutta. Every woman did patchworks that were later stitched onto the five feet Dhonekhali cotton material as applique work.”
The first workshop at Chandernagore on June 30, 2022, had 10 participants. The second one at Singur on July 6, 2022, had 25 participants. The last one at Mominpore, arranged by PratichiTrust and a local NGO Right Track, on 14 July last year. After the women were trained, each was given materials to make patchwork at home.
“We gave them a deadline and most of them submitted their work within that time after which I started the final artwork,” said Chakrabarti.
The scroll was displayed at Chandernagore on July 12 this year.
The entire project was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council(AHRC), UK, and the British Council.
As an outcome of the collaboration, an online marketplace called Wonder Weaves has been created by Ian Magadera of the University of Liverpool, where craftwork by women from Bengal will be uploaded for marketing.
“The project had a two-fold aim, one was skill enhancement and the other was creating consciousness about the environment and it was a resounding success on both counts,” said Magadera.