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Maiwa News Archive:
Coast Reporter Saturday, August 9, 2003
One Stitch at a Time
by Jan DeGrass, Arts & Entertainment Writer
Scene from the movie, Through the Eye
of a Needle
The great Kutch desert between India and the
Pakistan border is a treeless, inhospitable place subject to severe
drought. Nomadic tribes survive by mining the salt flats, tending
livestock and hauling water long distances from the few wells. It is
hardly the climate to foster a rich artistic tradition, yet the women of
the Kutch earn a livelihood through their art, by stitching textiles in
elaborate, colourful patterns.
The story of the success of their embroidery
kicks off the Gibsons Landing Fibre Arts Festival this August 12 in the
form of a film, a book, and a talk from Charllotte Kwon, a textile
business owner of Vancouver's Maiwa Handprints.
The film Through the Eye of a Needle documents
the art and craft of embroidery as practised by these tribal cultures as
they prepared for their first international exhibition of their work
which opened at the Vancouver Museum in July 2002. The show has been
such a success and was so heavily booked by schools and colleges that it
has been extended until December of this year. The idea of a needlework
exhibit is an interesting concept in itself since the women who were
long practised in preparing their embroidery for sale were intrigued by
the idea of preparing work for display only. What was a museum and why
would people just look and not buy? they asked Kwon on one of her buying
trips. Once they had embraced the concept, they produced exhibition
quality work with pride, calling them "art frames" to
distinguish them from their regular work.
A book, Through the Eye of a Needle: Stories
from an Indian Desert, was released this May written by Kwon and Meena
Raste, Maiwa's representative in India.
"Meena works closely with the women,"
says Kwon, "and I was constantly documenting while she was talking
with them."
The book features design and editing work by
Grantham's Landing resident Tim McLaughlin and the exhibit photography
of the Coast's Diego Samper. It recounts the saga of survival by the
people of the desert and how they have formed a co-operative, Kutch
Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS) to sell their goods abroad at a fair
price.
The full colour illustrations of the many
intricate designs are complemented by pages of motif diagrams with
descriptions of their symbolism. The text tells the story-as described
by Kwon and Raste and in the quotes of the women-in clear, informative
style that touches on some of the caste and cultural differences that
find their way in to the work.
Without a written language, tribal communities
use embroidery to record their experiences. Somewhat like the Scottish
clans, some of the patterns of stitches identify the "tartan"
of the tribe and may date back to ancient times: for example, the symbol
of the shraven, an historic figure stitched into the work of the Rabari
tribe or the use of tiny mirrors in the work of the Mutwa tribe. The
finished embroidery often becomes wedding gifts and is passed on to the
next tribe who become familiar with the patterns.
These days, given the business acumen of the
co-operative and an increased awareness of the importance of their work,
the five tribes have resisted the efforts of the international textile
importers to have them produce only popular patterns easily recognized
by tourists for quick sale.
Kwon and her staff have played a big part in
keeping the original patterns alive. "We can't dictate colour or
change design," Kwon says. "We can only exert quality
control."
Kwon makes the trip to this hot part of India
five times a year. On her last trip in June, the temperature never
dropped below 50 degrees, but she says the trips are necessary in order
to work closely with the artisans. She believes that more clients are
needed who understand the challenges of craftspeople in finding the
right markets. A foundation, also called Maiwa, assists rural people by
raising money for loans to small community projects.
The 30-minute film, edited by McLaughlin, is
sponsored by the Sunshine Coast Film Society and will be shown at the
Heritage Playhouse at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 12. Tickets at the
door are $10 or $12.50. The film is followed by a talk from Kwon, who
guest curated the exhibition at the Vancouver Museum. A selection of
exhibition textiles will be on display that evening, including some for
sale. Copies of the book will also be on sale.
© Maiwa Handprints Ltd. 2005.
6-1666 Johnston Street, Granville Island, Vancouver, BC Canada V6H 3S2
Tel 604 669 3939 - Fax 604 669 0609
maiwa@maiwa.com
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