CURIO DE IRIS – CURATOR – JDADA2019

“Many hands make beautiful work”

—- RITU KUMAR —-

Designers Rajul Shailee and Sarika R’s collection “Curio de Iris” means curation through lights. The integration of light and shadow through cutouts in the garments is a metaphor for the essence of the #MeToo movement.

The designers have used two art forms to create a symbolic representation of light and shadow to advocate about the ray of hope at the end of darkness.The concept of light and shadow was drawn from the dying art form of mime art in India. It is a method of silent story telling which is expressed through physical movements and facial expressions. The performers wear all black costumes with white paint on their faces and drawn features that are accentuated due to light. The inspiration to create the effect of light and shadow was taken from Sanjhi Art of Mathura.

Instead of cutting out the fabric by hand, the designers have recreated Sanjhi art using laser cutting. This method creates precise motifs on the outer layer of the fabric which is made of light weighted viscose to present the light and a heavy scuba fabric for the shadow effect. Laser cutting is used for cut outs as it can produce high volumes of the same complicated cut; saving on costs and time. The cutouts in the garments represent the trauma of the victims. However, the decorative cuts also denotes the confidence of overcoming the trauma through platforms that encourage the women to speak up and also provides them with the emotional support that they require. This layering has created depth and different tones of shades.

A lot of arts and crafts of India are slowly fading away, as the artists no longer want to practice them due to low sustenance. The designers through their collection have created a platform for the revival of these dying traditional art forms in India in an innovative way.