The Woven Kind is a new ethnographic and global Artisan Textile project, working to document, promote and preserve global traditional weaving techniques.
Designed to establish international relationships with global artisan textile communities and their NGO partners, the work will help encourage widened appreciation of each country’s cultural heritage in textiles, stimulating an interest of woven textiles in a global context.
Juliet Graziano and Caroline Donaldson of illae woven studio  are developing this project to enhance their understanding of an ancient craft, which remains fundamental to the economic sustainability of the local artisans and their communities.
With their initial trip to India in January 2017, Juliet and Caroline hope to continue this project globally, researching and visiting different countries with a rich heritage in hand-weaving, to build an extensive and exciting body of research for public dissemination.
The research will inform a series of outcomes.
- Online database of research
- A series of lectures and article
- An informative film
- An exhibition
- A self published book
- Textiles archive
Each outcome will be accessible to all weavers and artists in the UK to engage with India
The initial trip will see Juliet and Caroline visit the Western Rajasthani village of Pokhran with their partner NGO Rangsutra .
Their research will focus on several stages of weaving, from initial design idea to loom set up and their use of tools.
Caroline and Juliet will focus on the distinctive extra weft technique, or ‘Pattu Weaving‘ as it’s known in Western Rajasthan. In the UK, this method is done differently to  India, where weavers hand-manipulate the weft yarn, often with designs in their head before hand. The outcomes are similar but with a very different technical path. The aim is to document these differences and help preserve this heritage of handloom weaving techniques.
Through participatory and observational documentation, the pair will photograph, sketch, film and interview the community while they work.
Rangsutra community
Rangsutra is a community owned craft-company of over a thousand artisans from remote regions of India – from the deserts of Rajasthan to Manipur in the North East.
Rangsutra ensures sustainable livelihoods for artisans and farmers by creating quality hand made products based on the principles of fair trade and a celebration of India’s rich craft heritage.
How to contribute
The effectiveness of this project is dependent on the support and corroboration of the weaving community in the UK and abroad. If successful in gaining sufficient accreditation, a unique and essential resource which currently has no precedent in the UK or abroad will be established, benefitting all those who practice and study the craft. If you’d like to get involved or simply find out more, please email for further information.
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Blog:Â www.thewovenkind.wordpress.com
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Twitter:@thewovenkind
Newsletter: Please write to thewovenkind@gmail.com
Text and images: The Woven Kind
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