KUTCH LOGO
This project was completed during the internship at
Ishan Khosla Design, as a part of studio's design team, under the guidance of the creative head Ishan Khosla.
Please visit www.ishankhosla.com for more details about the studio and the project.
Objective:
Organisations we worked with
Kala-Raksha, Shrujan, Qasab, SIDR, Vankar, Jabbar Khatri
and Khamir.
Crafts we worked with
Embroideries: Suf, Rabari, Jat, Ahir and Khameer.
Print: Ajrak and Bandhani.
Weave: Bhujodi Weaving and Mushru
and Lacquer Wood.
Concept
The Toran
A toran is a vibrant, pendant-punctuated highly ornate textile that acts as a gateway and is seen hanging over doorways and entrances throughout Kutch. They are made with beadwork or embroidered cloth, often embellished with glinting mirrors, sequins and tassels.
We decided to use the form of the toran for the logo because it is an important ritualistic textile object.
It is regarded as a sign of auspiciousness as well as of protection from evil spirits. The toran is used to welcome the Gods as well as guests into one’s home. It is considered that the textile torans have evolved from the ancient leaf version of the toran (still seen today) made from leaves of the Mango or Asoka (meaning no grief) tree.
One sees the toran in Buddhist, Hindu and Jain architecture as well. The earliest archaeological evidence of the toran dates back to the Sanchi Stupa commissioned by the Mauryan emperor, Asoka in the 3rd century BCE. The four prominent stone torans at the Stupa are imitations of timber and brick construction, which was a popular feature in Indian architecture before third century BCE. It is believed that both the Chinese paifang gateways and Japanese torii gateways have been derived from the Indian toran.
This makes a nice connection, considering the exhibition is being held in Japan.
The Logo
Due to a shortage of time, we started out by creating a digital version of the logo,
which was then later made into a physical toran by the numerous artisans we engaged with.
We felt it was important that the logo represents as many communities and their identities
via the crafts they engage in. The challenge was to select a few crafts that represent a land where
there are over two dozen styles of embroideries; numerous styles of weaving; split-ply braiding; multiple communities practising printing and dyeing; and numerous non-textiles crafts such as wood carving,
copper bell making and turned wood coated with lacquer.
Another aspect to consider was the contradiction between the simplicity and minimalism of the logo versus that of the sensibility of traditional communities, where intricacy and detail are valued more because of the workmanship and refinement. That the colloquial word for embroidery is bharat kaam or “filling work” further supported the need for an ornate and detailed logo to represent the richness of the myriad Kutchi crafts.
Sketch explorations and finding elements for the Logo.
Final letters
Digital Toran
Deciding the Cloth and Threads to be used for the embroidery leaves.
Process of getting the Toran made out of Kala-Cotton in Khamir. Meeting with Fumie and team. Making of the Toran leaf at Shrujan and Kala-Raksha. Getting Anchor and Telephone and Pantone threads finalized.
Toran coming to life.
Final Physical Toran
Application
