Last year I had the opportunity to visit the remote villages of Punjab and northern area of Pakistan. Interacting with the craftsmen made me question about the cultural identity and what are we doing about it.
Is crafts also is part of that identity?
My love for crafts and the artisans made me think, that how the urbanization and connectivity is sucking our core our identities and making us into mass produced merchandise.
How our handicrafts are being compromised in this technology revolution?
These experiences lead me to do something for ourselves and for craftsmen, for our identity, we as a nation has to own it and embrace it. We need to appreciate it and not become pray to the industrialization completely.
In recent years, as Wood (2011) notes, this sector faces a major threat as a result of growing preference for mass produced designs that are cheap and easy to afford. This approach has added to a steady deterioration of craft.
The demand of innovative and trendy designs has left the artisans very vulnerable and has a major risk to sustain their livelihoods. I want to talk about the perceptions of design regarding how the craft industry is overlooked, and how design, fashion trends/cycles has conveniently chosen to ignore craft and craftsmanship in Pakistan. The Fashion product design and fashion trends have impact on craft and the artisans’ community in Pakistan.
Back ground
Sub-continent has a history of rich crafts reflecting the cultural heritage which is shared between Pakistan and India now. Textile Craft is a traditional practice unique to its origin; it is a practice that entails objects crafted by hand. These objects require a cultural insight into the lives of the craftsmen of a particular area. According to Dasra (2013), the craft industry provides millions of artisans with employment and is one of the largest small scale or cottage industries. The Artisans have mastered the craft techniques specific to the regions for centuries, these skills have been handed down to them from generations.
Before going any further would like to talk about the need of archiving our crafts, we need to document the value and how these artisans have restored traditions in needle and thread. In 2018 I got the opportunity to work with an NGO: Kaarvan Crafts Foundation (was established in 2004 as a Not-for-Profit company registered under Section 32 and licensed under Section 42 of Companies Ordinance, 1984 Pakistan. Since then, it has successfully carried out diverse projects in remote villages of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). This exposure gave me an insight of the crafts of Punjab and KP province and also provided me the platform to document the crafts of these areas in a craft directory.
Craft directory is a tribute to the artisans of Pakistan. The peculiar understanding of materials is combined with mastery of tools, techniques and processes which have been evolved over time through social and cultural interactions. The crafts represent the creativity of ordinary people and how they reflect and express through embroidery which they have passed on from one generation to another. This research also concluded that how our socio demographic gets embedded in our heritage. As In the process i discovered the names of few stitches based on the political scenario of Pakistan. Artisans had kept the names of the stitches as Benazir and Nawaz Sharif tanka.
The next step is to improvise the product range according to the market needs. Market linkages have to be made. Therefore to do so, design with craft textiles can enhance and help the value of products and to be able to compete in today’s market. Importantly, it also offers one strategy to support economic sustainability issues linked to the livelihood of craftspeople at the village level. To compete with the mass produced product. The artsian are given workshops of design aesthetics, color trends, market trends and material understanding.
Artisans stories
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1572909542931497
Artisan to entrepreneur:
In this journey of being associated with the artisans, I still felt a gap, these craftsmen were able to make linkages with the local market yet they were still being exploited. In my tools and technology class I was assigned to develop an app, and first thing which came to be was to take our craft our identity on a global scale.
I would like to propose an idea, that if an app is developed, which links the artisans directly to the customer all over the world. I know this sounds too ambitious but it’s not impossible.
I started my research on online craft portals, and to my surprise all were operated by a third party, no one was connecting the customer to the artisan. This reinforced my idea. I started brain storming ideas what do I want to do. Initially I wanted too much from this app.
I had to confine myself to one objective at a time.
First thing was to name my app; I wanted a word which could encompass my journey. After going through a lot of brain storming I finalized ARTH : To strive to obtain (source: Sanskrit-English dictionary)
My logo inspiration is from the Mughal paintings, which depicts the tree of life a symbol of life love and growth.
I had decided on below major core objectives
- Craft directory
- Connecting artisan to the market digitally ( online taking orders, providing quality assurance and shipping) eliminating the middle man.
- Quality
- A manager of quality with complete profile
- Providing design services
- Trends
- Color trends
- Workshops
- Digital training to the artisans( how to use internet and smart phone)
- Videos etc
- Product range
- Visual directory of product range.
Below is the suggested wireframe of the app.
- Shipping and packaging
Conclusion
This will be one of its kind tool App which will connect to buyers all across the world. For first few years I feel there will be teething problems like mode of payments, understanding the design, language etc. i believe as humans we change and learn, and with support of local NGOs this can be achievable and will be able to give platform to become the entrepreneur.
Tools & Technology in Art Education 