SUTR SANTATI: THEN. NOW. NEXT.
Melbourne Museum is hosting Sutr Santati: Then. Now. Next, an exhibition of specially commissioned Indian textiles, from 13 May - 3 September 2023. The exhibition is conceived and curated by Lavina Baldota who heads CSR at the Abheraj Baldota Foundation, Hosapete, Karnataka, India. ‘Sutr Santati’ translates to ‘the continuity of thread’.
Please could you tell us the meaning of the term Sutr Santati
Lavina Baldota: Sutr means thread and Santati means continuity in Hindi. The term Sutr Santati thus translates as `the continuity of thread’. As the title for this exhibition, it represents on-going dialogues, in Indian culture and society, through handmade textiles. These textiles connect the country’s past with the present in their use of material, techniques, motifs, patterns, as well as the themes, artistic styles and aesthetics that are expressed. They further explore what innovation means in the varied social, economic and geographical contexts in which they have been created.
Image: Buland-e-qala by Anjul Bhandari. Above image: Moon Birds.
Please tell us about the collection of Sutr Santati: Then. Now. Next.
Lavina Baldota: The exhibition is being held to commemorate 75 years of India’s Independence. It features 75 specially commissioned textiles by artisans, craftspeople and contemporary designers in India that have been made by individual and group efforts. Their makers identify themselves as artists, artisans, craftspeople and designers, working in diverse formats, whether companies, brands, ateliers, studios, and workshops as well as those which are home-based. They constitute a wide spectrum of creative practitioners operating in the commercial to not-for-profit sectors of textile manufacture in India, with an outstanding diversity of skills. The collection represents an incredible spectrum of traditional Indian textile techniques and their potential in creating superlative handmade textiles with an international appeal.........................................................
Please could you tell us the meaning of the term Sutr Santati
Lavina Baldota: Sutr means thread and Santati means continuity in Hindi. The term Sutr Santati thus translates as `the continuity of thread’. As the title for this exhibition, it represents on-going dialogues, in Indian culture and society, through handmade textiles. These textiles connect the country’s past with the present in their use of material, techniques, motifs, patterns, as well as the themes, artistic styles and aesthetics that are expressed. They further explore what innovation means in the varied social, economic and geographical contexts in which they have been created.
Image: Buland-e-qala by Anjul Bhandari. Above image: Moon Birds.Please tell us about the collection of Sutr Santati: Then. Now. Next.
Lavina Baldota: The exhibition is being held to commemorate 75 years of India’s Independence. It features 75 specially commissioned textiles by artisans, craftspeople and contemporary designers in India that have been made by individual and group efforts. Their makers identify themselves as artists, artisans, craftspeople and designers, working in diverse formats, whether companies, brands, ateliers, studios, and workshops as well as those which are home-based. They constitute a wide spectrum of creative practitioners operating in the commercial to not-for-profit sectors of textile manufacture in India, with an outstanding diversity of skills. The collection represents an incredible spectrum of traditional Indian textile techniques and their potential in creating superlative handmade textiles with an international appeal.........................................................
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