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The Working Traveller Bappaditya Biswas,
Linda Cortright, Stephen Huyler, Charllotte Kwon, and Sheila Paine $150 One day
October 21 (Wed) 10am - 3pm
Maiwa Loft – Net Loft Granville Island Class Limit 16
Each member of our panel has carved a road in the wilderness. It is not easy to walk off the map, but they have all done it, struck out alone to follow a path as unknown to themselves as it was to others.
And then something happens ...
As Charllotte puts it, “At a certain point there is an incredible feeling of freedom and you are able to see the whole world as your workshop.”
Join Bappaditya (weaver and entrepreneur), Stephen Huyler (anthropologist, photographer, and writer), Linda Cortright, (journalist and magazine publisher), Charllotte Kwon (owner of Maiwa and documentary filmmaker), and Sheila Paine (explorer and author) as they present a variety of approaches to both travel and travel documentation. The day will begin with formal presentations but will have a relaxed, open format.
BAPPADITYA BISWAS
Bappaditya Biswas (Bappa) studied batik, wood block printing, and textile design to complement his love of weaving. While he was still a student, his natural facility at the loom caught the attention of many and he was sponsored to attend the Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia.
Wandering the streets of the USA, looking into shops, attending museums exhibits, and interacting with other artists, he became convinced that Indian craft had a great and unexplored potential.
At the same time the weavers outside Kolkata were pushing Bappa to find markets for the projects they had tried. With encouragement from the weavers, his own vision, and the support of his future wife, Rumi, Bappa left his job and started Bai Lou Studio.
“I started going to the village and staying there to work on ideas and designs. Sometimes I had to sit on the loom and show them what I wanted. Sometimes while watching them weave, a lot of ideas would creep into my head. It became a very interactive platform. Rumi would come in every evening after her work and inevitably get pulled into Bai Lou’s work. Bai Lou has benefited from her clarity of thought – especially in financial matters.”
Bai Lou specializes in hand weaves and techniques like jamdani (extra weft), double and triple cloths (extra warps), fine and coarse cotton muslins, and plain tabby weave. The ability to weave different textures and fabrics has been combined with the much bigger responsibility of keeping alive the tradition of weaving. Bai Lou has been awarded the UNESCO Seal of Excellence for Handcrafts.
Since 1995 Linda Cortright has made her home near the coast of Maine where she raises an “aging” herd of cashmere goats.
Before moving to Maine, Cortright worked in public relations at CBS television and in nuclear training for the Philadelphia Electric Company, eventually writing and producing a documentary on Chernobyl for the United Nations in Vienna, Austria. She has also worked as a dog groomer in New York City, a sales associate for Tiffany & Co., and a marketing consultant for the Peace Corps after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Cortright decided to start Wild Fibers after spending several years as marketing director for The Island Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping sustain Maine’s islands and remote coastal areas. That experience led Cortright to understand the importance of preserving both the agricultural and artisan traditions associated with the fibre industry. The general public tends to focus on the end products, such as cashmere sweaters or alpaca scarves, without giving much thought as to where the fibres actually come from, who is responsible for raising them, and what impact they have on the environment.
In addition to publishing Wild Fibers (which just celebrated its fifth anniversary) and travelling nearly 100,000 miles annually, when Cortright isn’t back on the farm cleaning out the barn or looking for escaped goats, she enjoys giving lectures about her “wild” travel experiences. She also enjoys having her own private supply of cashmere that she spins and knits while waiting in airports in some very remote parts of the globe.
Linda Cortright will also give a lecture on October 22.
STEPHEN HUYLER
Stephen Huyler has been traveling in India since 1971, recording the common pulse of the peoples of South Asia and conveying his discoveries through books, exhibitions, and lectures. His work gives intimate insights into cultures that received little or no public exposure before his pioneering research.
Following two decades focused upon the documentation of folk arts and crafts, Huyler’s recent projects have examined the daily devotional practices of Hinduism. His extensive photographic archives contain one of the largest private visual surveys of India in existence. Stephen Huyler joins us from Maine, USA.
Stephen Huyler will also give a lecture on October 17.
Bibliography
Daughters of India: Art and Identity
Gifts of Earth: Terracottas & Clay Sculptures of India
Meeting God: Elements of Hindu Devotion
Mud, Mirror and Thread: Folk Traditions of Rural India
Painted Prayers: Women’s Art in Village India
Village India
CHARLLOTTE KWON
Charllotte Kwon is the owner of Maiwa Handprints Ltd. and the director of the Maiwa Foundation. Through Maiwa, Charllotte also runs a textile archive and research library located on Granville Island.
The Maiwa Textile Symposium is the direct result of her enthusiasm for textiles and artisans. She personally pulls together the formidable list of international speakers listed here.
Under her direction Maiwa has produced four documentary films and a number of print publications. She also guides Maiwa’s substantial web presence.
Charllotte travels extensively each year to research handcraft and to supplement her extensive natural dye knowledge. She teaches natural dyeing classes to artisans around the world.
Charllotte Kwon will also give a lecture on October 15 and teach the Natural Dyes workshop.
Bibliography
A Quiet Manifesto
Through the Eye of a Needle: Stories from an Indian Desert
Koekboya (Co-author with Harald Böhmer)
Filmography
Through the Eye of a Needle: Stories from an Indian Desert
Indigo: A World of Blue
Tana Bana: Wisdom of the Loom
In Search of Lost Colour: The Story of Natural Dyes
SHEILA PAINE
Sheila Paine is a world expert on tribal societies and textiles. Her passion for travel began when she was very young and has taken her around the world. She is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and has worked as a professional translator/interpreter in French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Her museum-quality collection includes embroidery and amulets and has been staged in numerous exhibitions. She is the author of several acclaimed books and has won travel-writing awards from the Independent and the Sunday Times.
Sheila Paine will also give a lecture on October 20.
Bibliography
The Afghan Amulet: Travels from the Hindu Kush to Razgrad
The Golden Horde: Travels from the Himalaya to Karpathos
The Linen Goddess: Travels from the Red Sea to Prizren
Chikan Embroidery: The Floral Whitework of India
Embroidered Textiles: Traditional Patterns from Five Continents
Amulets: A World of Secret Powers, Charms and Magic
Embroidery from India and Pakistan
Embroidery from Afghanistan
Embroidered Textiles (expanded edition of original)
Contributor: Meetings with Remarkable Muslims
