HIDDEN TREASURES OF ART:

Hidden treasures of art as the name suggests was a brilliantly documented short film about the tribal textiles of India .It talks about a journey ,through the state of Gujarat , one of the richest states dealing with arts and crafts.Through this movie we get an insight into the different fabrics of varying colors and how they are woven into a variety of colorful designs and mirrored embroideries.Each persons attire here is giving a clue to their caste , status and family.

 The main aspects concentrated on are:

CAN this art survive?

WHY do they make this art?

WHAT does it mean to them?

WHO makes them?

WHY it is made?

  The most fascinating thing conveyed through the movie was about how the most compelling art in the world has been made by some of its most needy people.India being so diverse in culture ,the textiles and their importance varies from place to place.In the documentary , Griff has portrayed how and why the artwork produced by these artisans is important to them.

Cloth in India has been considered to be sacred since very beginning .In the documentary Griff travels to Gujarat to investigate about the centuries age old printing ,dyeing and embroidery techniques. Griff travels to the rabari community , one of the most traditional societies known for their astonishing embroideries where women spend hours together sewing dowry gifts.The movie also mentions about how this art is dying as the women who have been working on it because of the passed down traditions ,now want to move out of it ,thus asking for a change.They dont want their children and grandchildren to be doing this as they feel the power of a women is not justified through this.A lot of communities in India today are facing this problem thus causing the Indian art to die.The question raised here was about if the Indian arts and crafts could survive in the 21st century.

   However on the other hand ,the communities in Ahmadabad producing the shrine cloth believe in living with the age old traditions and not letting them wither away.This community produces the shrine cloth.The dont believe in change and confide in what they have been doing .These people on the other hand would not let their art wither away.They identify themselves .their castes , statuses etc on the basis of the art they produce.

    Several communities from over the country have different viewpoints, some of them are driven by change and some by faith.

CARPETS AND THE SILK ROUTE:

The story and history of carpets seems to be a very twisted tale once looked upon.The designs on the carpets have a very strong story to tell just by the use of symbols and motifs.These motifs and symbols convey various stories.They connect to several cultures from across the world. Even though the same or similar symbols are used all over the world their significance and meaning differ from place to place.Carpets are used differently in different parts of the world. The story , the motifs , the symbols and the elements used in weaving them define their end usage.

   Carpets derive their names from the localities in which they are produced,tribal groups they are associated with as well as their techniques of manufacture the characteristic patterns of their ornamentation,the layout of the design and the intention of usage  One of the first kinds of carpets produced was called the Anatolian carpet or the knotted carpet.These carpets had representative physical forms depicted in a very geometric manner.

     Paintings were one important medium of narrating a story about the carpets.The carpets seen in the paintings had a lot to convey depending upon basic elements like placement.usage and color.A lot regarding the date and year of the carpet and its usage and meaning were estimated through paintings.

    In Europe carpets were regarded as a sign of wealth and royalty.Large masses of carpets were imported to Europe and were majorly used as floor coverings.Symbols and their meanings differed from region to region.There was a trend to use symbols with different regions and fuse them with the existing ones in order to convey a lot of things such as victory , defeat , wealth , unity etc.

  The silk route was an epitome in the history of textiles and carpets.The symbols that got exchanged , changed their forms , colors , meaning etc and settled in the new culture.There is thus there are no physical transmission traces of these symbols.

   Carpets are regarded as sacred pieces of textiles in several cultures across the world.They are used as powerful  means of storytelling.