As most of us crib about the missing monsoons and the rising temperatures that compel us to stay cooped up with ACs for comfort, we do realise the obvious — that climate crisis is for real and that it’s high time we not only address it, but do something in our own individual capacity to try and reverse the process. Taking a cue, textile artist Kalyani Pramod and her team at Common Threads Studio explore the effects of climate change through fibre and textile artworks.
Titled Bhoomi, the exhibition seeks to raise awareness on the urgent need for action through the power of art. At the heart of the exhibition, one can find depictions of coral reefs and marine life, the vibrant jungle, a decomposing tree, expansive mountain ranges and flaming forest fires, along with information panels on the alarming reality of the world.
“This was always on my mind, because every other day, when you watch news, or read the newspaper, there are reports of some disaster or the other happening around the world. To top it all, our oceans are at risk; there is coral bleaching! All this had an impact on me. And I realised that with my textile crochet, I could create a healthy ocean and also show the transformation to a bleached part of the ocean,” Kalyani begins to tell us.
At the exhibition, one will find an iceberg made out of bubble wrap plastic sheets; an avalanche made with Tyvek, a material used in the building industry as well as in the car industry, for upholstery and for protection of certain parts of the vehicle.
“Due to its tactile nature, textile art as a medium can evoke strong emotions both for the creator as well as the audience,” says Kalyani, who has been working with discarded materials since the 1980s. She adds, “The climate crisis has urged us to delve deeper into everyday life and introspect our collective actions. My creative practice draws connection between personal experience and global issues.”
Kalyani says she has created a series on the ocean, and a series on forests. “I have depicted a healthy forest, and then there is deforestation,” she says. The artist informs us that it took 18 months to put together this exhibition, with a lot of experiments and failures in between. “There were a lot of things which we thought maybe will look like fungi or like coral, but they didn’t. So we kept trying to get the best results, by using different materials as well as techniques.”
Telling us more about the materials used for Bhoomi, Kalyani explains, “We are also spinners, so took waste fabrics (tailor waste) and created yarn out of it, and then combined colours. We used the yarn as crochet material for making corals. We’ve also used metal copper wire, old newspaper, plastic; in fact, the whole bleach section is done with plastic. So, everything we turn into yarn first, and then we make it into a linear material, after which we decided upon the different techniques to use. Oh! we have made good use of teabags as well! We removed the tea out of the tea bags, opened the tea bags, make them into strips and then spin those to turn them into yarn. We then use the yarn in the tapestry
weaving.”
The different techniques used, Kalyani informs us, include weaving, crochet knitting, embroidery beadwork, punch needle craft; the sculptures are made with metal and crocheting over the metal.
The artworks are a collaborative effort by Kalyani and her team, a group of dynamic individuals who skillfully craft pieces that are not only captivating to the eye but visually narrate the impact of anthropogenic climate change. The artworks merge craftsmanship, social change, and upcycling. “We are a very small team; I don’t know how you will count, but it’s like my driver becomes my sculptor. They are not all professionals, but we are a team of fun loving people, who are very concerned about the environment and today’s situation,” says the artist, who is already planning her next series of artwork, which she wants to title Endangered. “It’s going to be on anything endangered , and that can be animals, humans, folk dance — I haven’t decided upon that.”
Entry free.
September 9 to 21,
10 am to 7 pm.
At Espace 24, Alliance Française of Madras, Nungambakkam.
Email: rupam@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @rupsjain