Rati

NIFT | ANAVILA | GRAD-PROJECT

Rati was a graduation project at NIFT Gandhinagar, undertaken with Anavila as the industry partner. The project began with research into the goddess of love, desire and feminine beauty, gradually developing a motif language of curved forms, pomegranates, parakeets and lotuses. Their associations with the goddess became the basis for developing the textiles. The research began to take on different forms through the making process, finding its way into sarees, dupattas and textile yardages. Khadi Jamdani, handwoven linen, block printing and embroidery became different ways of translating the research into tactile surfaces. Working with craft clusters also made the process less linear. Designs were constantly tested, adapted and sometimes left behind when the material or technique asked for something else. It was an early lesson in how research changes once it meets material, technique and the realities of making.