WWISFD Students Went To Hyderabad On A Study Tour

WWISFD Students were taken to Hyderabad on a study tour to show the art and culture of a state of India (Telangana), which also includes textile as an element. The knowledge and experience that they have gathered from this tour will act as design-inspiration for them in days to come. They got to visit weavers’ service centre, fashion designer Gaurang Shah’s studio, craft village – Shilparamam, to understand the nuances of various techniques used in the process of creating fibre-to-fabric.

Weavers Service Center, set up by the Central Government to uplift the handloom industry. At this center, our students were introduced to various weaving machines that are used to weave Jaquard, Dorby  and Double Jacquard. Here, they also learned the technique and process of Block Printing and Kalamkari, while also understanding the of process of making vegetable dyes

Main highlight of the tour was meeting and interacting with the award winning textile designer, Gaurang Shah who has created a revolution in India; he is trying to uplift the art of weaving and popularising Khadi. He works with 450 weavers across five states in India and they showcase their stunning designs all over the world; the recent event was the Berlin Fashion Week

Our students spent a day with Gaurang at his studio understanding the process of designing and getting acquainted to different kind of weaves in saris like, Jamdani Designs, Ikkat, Patola, which are woven in geometric patterns in bright  colors. Later, we took our students to the villages where weavers weave these saris. This helped them to understand the different processes involved in the making of fiber-to-fabric, which includes dyeing and weaving. 

Our students also Bidri Work – The art of Inlaying silver in a dark metal base . It is a 400 years old craft. There are 3 main forms Nashan (deeply cut work) , Zar Nashan (raised work) , Tarkashi (wire inlay work). Our students would be following these techniques and incorporating them in forms of embroidery and embellishments on their creation.

Our students also visited a craft village named Shilparamam - a place where artisans from across India showcase their individual skills in a variety of arts, crafts and culture. From Indian pottery to a plethora of weaves, woodwork, jewelry, clothes and local crafts of each region of the country.

While in Hyderabad, our students went to the following places:

Mecca Masjid – one of the biggest and the oldest masjid of India . the students visited the Laad bazar which is famed for its sparkling bangles called Lac & Basra pearls

Charminar – ‘ Mosque of the Four Minarets’  and ‘ Four Towers

Salarjung Museum – The Third largest museum in India . The museum houses magnificent exhibits of Indian  Art , Middle Eastern Art , Far Eastern Art and European Art & Textiles. The idea behind taking the students to this museum was to understand the ancient art and textiles which would act as an inspiration for them in future.

For more pics from the study tour to Hyderabad, visit http://on.fb.me/1Tq62G2