India is a country with diverse cultures and traditions, and has a strong background in crafts. Across regions and communities, artisans practice different Indian craft types. Some are rooted in a specific place and rely on local materials or tools. Others are more widespread and only dependent on the skill set. These crafts are integral as a source of livelihood, economy, and a marker of the heritage of different parts of India. Integrating these crafts in architecture and interior design can enhance space in many ways. Narratives can be interwoven into interiors. Building crafts generate different experiences. There are countless opportunities to create authentic and personal experiences.
1: Existing Crafts in India | Indian Crafts
Historically in India, craft has often held a spiritual or divine meaning attached to it. Multiple crafts exist in India across different states. They are classified as building, textile or paper crafts, painting, and more. These crafts have traditionally been used to make day-to-day objects of utility like garments, blankets, vessels, baskets, etc. Craft can be defined as an activity of making something by hand, involving a particular skill.
2: Traditional use of crafts in building
Building crafts are the most important in interior design and architecture. They include craft forms used as building techniques in manufacturing raw materials or finishes such as flooring materials. These crafts are generally vernacular to specific regions as they rely on materials sourced from the surroundings. They are practiced by local artisans who are proficient in their skills and have the traditional knowledge of materials and crafts that have been passed down from generation to generation in their families.
These crafts deal with one of the following things: construction, surfaces, or finishes. Examples of building crafts are stonework, woodwork, oxide flooring, lime plaster, use of traditional handmade tiles (for example, athangudi tiles), construction with traditional local bricks, stucco work, etc. The above mentioned crafts are local to Tamil Nadu, but different regions of India have their craft practices. Traditionally craft techniques were used to build local residences, institutes, etc. Today, in most places, they have been replaced by technologies and assembly-based construction methods.
The practice of architects using local materials in a building is also considered a way of using craft. Some notable architects, such as Nari Gandhi and Laurie Baker are some examples. Their projects show a strong belief in conserving energy and wasting a minimum amount of material, which is a sensitivity to the climate they were building in. They chose to use natural materials believing that building techniques should involve manual processes rather than industrial ones.
Using craft in architecture adds a personal touch to the entire building process. The spaces then feel customized to the client’s requirements. In turn, a local artisan’s knowledge is useful to experiment further with a single material, leading to unexpected results. An example is Uma Devi’s residence, designed by Chitra Vishwanath. In the project, various mud construction techniques are implemented in different ways. Inbuilt ceilings use small diyas made from terracotta, and in other places, the broken diya pieces have also been integrated creatively to create ceiling patterns. This residence is an example of innovation and attention to detail, making the home feel unique to the ones living there.
3: Contemporizing crafts | Indian Crafts
While crafts have been used traditionally in architecture according to local knowledge, there is also a need to acknowledge the changing times and upcoming technology. If some methods are more viable to the context, holding on to a traditional solution may not always be the best choice. Crafts need to be adapted to the current times and re-innovated so they can fit in with the newer designs and interior design processes. However, this also requires a thorough understanding of the original skill- set and methods followed to re-imagine them in a new context. Crafts can be contemporized by re-thinking their scale, using them to articulate a design intent, or using them for purposes that are different from traditional ones. Artisans can be trained to execute newer designs with the same materials they have worked with earlier. Meanwhile, their knowledge benefits the designer and is often a more sustainable solution.
4: Craft- design collaborations
Craft-design collaborations benefit the craftsperson as well as the designer. Crafts are in different layers of architecture. For example, they can be designed into space-making elements such as partitions or walls. Or in ceilings or flooring of specific interior spaces to emphasize their location or even create an authentic experience if that is the intent. For example, in Auroville, many architects experiment with using vaults made of guna tubes by local potters. They also make filler slabs to reduce the amount of concrete used with locally-made pots used within the slab. These decisions have a sustainable reasoning as well as an aesthetic impact.
Indian craft forms are used in making furniture or accessories for interior spaces. For example, incorporating a specific weaving technique in chair upholstery or bamboo weaves to create lighting fixtures. Often clients like to bring memories of their childhood or ancestral roots into a new home. Narrative crafts such as Mata ni Pachedi, miniature painting, or Phad paintings are used in spaces to do the same. These crafts can also be used in their traditional way or be re-interpreted in new ways using the same core concepts.
The Calico Museum interiors reflect the image of Ahmedabad’s traditional pol house elements. For example, the courtyard outside the museum is created like a chowk. The design also uses elements such as chabutro, door frames, windows, and columns from the old city of Ahmedabad. Another example of the integration of crafts in design is the restaurant Vishalla in Ahmedabad. The interiors consist of mud flooring, bamboo walls, leaf plates, and a dhinchanyu (knee support). Guests are encouraged to sit on the floor, cross-legged, as tradition suggests for good digestion.
Conclusion | Indian Crafts
Eventually, it is a personal choice for a designer or architect if they want to integrate crafts directly or indirectly into their projects. Exploring ancestral traditions rooted in our culture is another opportunity to invigorate designs and give something back to the artisans and their heritage.
References
Jain, R. (2016) Crafts in Interior Architecture: India, 1990 onwards, Garland Magazine. Available at: https://garlandmag.com/threads/crafts-interior-architecture-india-1990-onward-rishav-jain/ (Accessed: January 12, 2023).
Vyas, N. (2017) Calico museum, Academia.edu. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/33991471/Calico_Museum (Accessed: January 12, 2023).
Vasudev, S. (2016) Designers should become catalysts of change: Rajeev Sethi, mint. Available at: https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/w5b8F8uiyt3FQffeJzt9SL/Designers-should-become-catalysts-of-change-Rajeev-Sethi.html (Accessed: January 13, 2023).
