Goodu Factory
The process of silk production is called sericulture, wherein the silkworm (Bombyx mori) is bred, fed mulberry leaves and left to cocoon itself with fiber it produces. Sericulture remains to be a popular livelihood activity among the rural farmers across India.
Click on the image to see more images and read a little about my field trip to a silk cocoon auction market.
Handmade: Designing with raw materials
An opportunity to explore art-based practices and processes as part of a course in university led me to create an installation using Finnish lamb wool. The process involved intimate, political and philosophical engagement in which I traced through nostalgia, feeling a deep sense of attachment to a memory, that involved lives and activities that were attuned with nature. Having been studying theoretical approach to sustainability during my Master’s degree in Creative Sustainability, I found it a good opportunity that I could learn about the decreasing demand for local wool, as is the case also in rural India. The material used in the project, which is mainly wool, came from a farm that had no use for it, which would have been otherwise disposed in the trash.
The process of visiting the farm, interacting with the sheep, collecting soiled wool full of sheep dung, hay and dirt was enriching. The process further involved cleaning the wool by hand and carding to render it usable. In the installation, I have tried to show that process.
The course offered a theoretical and critical approach to ponder on futures and utopias, and the freedom to explore issues that mattered to us deeply in our own disciplines. Besides working with students from different disciplines such as architecture, chemical engineering, design and art, it consisted of interacting with local famers and artisans giving me a transdisciplinary experience.
Soaking wool in water with baby shampoo to remove all the gunk out.
Brushing out the wool after a good wash.
For sure the process is a tedious one, and no doubt why slow fashion and small businesses deserve a fair price.