Project for Upgradation of the Skilled Handicrafts and Perishing Art-forms
Handicrafts represent the rich cultural tradition of a region, embodying the heritage of creativity, aesthetics and craftsmanship. They define not only the cultural roots of the region, but also provide the people a means of economic, non-agricultural sustenance. The designs reflect the immense creativity and artistic skills of the local people, drawn from nature and their surroundings. The inspiration is reflective of interactions with social, economic, cultural and religious forces in the environment.
Primarily, this creativity is still existent in the rural areas, with the young being exposed to the art of making and transforming available materials on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the formal education systems lack the richness of traditional craft experiences. It is here that handicrafts hold the real promise for the rediscovery of the therapeutic values of the traditional arts.
Craftsmanship brings with it an understanding of quality and refinement, and the sensitivity that is gained through this work culture will help introduce the youth to a whole philosophy of values. It is an effective vehicle for self development and sustainable employment generation for the population living in difficult economic conditions.
In the last few decades, traditional crafts have undergone tremendous change. The traditional crafts persons has to adapt to the ever changing, new clientele. In addition, with expanding markets, innovations have to be faster and less subtle. Through enterprising, artisans do not always have adequate information of the changing tastes of the market. For a myriad of reasons, including socioeconomic attitudes, they do not have access to the better markets. Commercialization in such situations has led to a downward spiral of declining creativity, quality and artistic finesse.
In efforts to check and revive this spiral, it has been conventionally perceived that new design is needed to make craft sustainable, in the form of trained designers giving new designs to artisans. The implication is the designers have knowledge, while artisans have skills. When design, or art, is separated from craft, the artisan is essentially reduced to a laborer, reinforcing a low social status to craft. Further, most commercialized craft aims for quick, standardized and low cost replication; an emulation of the factory model. The strength of handicrafts - the personal cultural/ artistic expression, the handmade quality - is forgotten. The net result is that even when artisans can earn a living by producing contemporary versions, most do not wish their children to be artisans.
It is to address this lag - be it in the sphere of incorporation of new ideas, exchanges with other similar environmental regions, introduction to new developments in the materials and tools utilized to express creativity, assistance in product marketability - that this project would be targeted at.
Drawing information and ideas from the world over, an endeavor would be to bring greater ease, skill, durability and innovation of design into the creation of handicrafts - that, without compromising on traditional and cultural sensibilities of the crafts persons.
The core aim of the project is to revive and preserve the traditional handicrafts. It is envisioned to holistically encourage the creative capacity of the artisan - including preventive healthcare and basic education.
It is proposed to address this in a phased manner - the primary phase involving the collection and collation of the existent situation, whereupon new ideas and developments can be introduced and infused to make for an overall superior product. It would not only confine itself to the introduction of new designs, but also ascertain the social, financial and other economic difficulties, causes and reasons for decline in number of people involved in making handicrafts, and the rationale for the quality and skill depreciation. This would be carried out through desk research and the assistance of ground level functioning sources.
It would ascertain: 1. Nature of work being traditionally done in the region. 2. Materials in use. 3. Artistic traditions in use/potential - according to region/sub region, etc. 4. Who are involved in this kind of work 5. Partnership possibilities in this field
Primarily, the person involved in this project would be Mr. Vivek Varun Prasad.