Wild Flower on Cotton

Sri Lanka, we are told, is home to thousands of wildflowers with more than 800 species endemic to this island. The use of cotton on the island has its recorded origin with Queen Kuveni, the first mother and matriarch of the indigenous population. It is said she was spinning yarn in Tambapanni, south of Bharat when Vijaya first met her following his banishment to Lanka from the north. The trade in cotton and fabric is very ancient and to this day collectors seek fabrics in places far removed from where they were made.

The tradition of making fine cotton and silk fabrics continues in India to this day. For example in Balarampuran in Kerala, a consortium of expert weavers has been known for over a century. They carry on the tradition of meticulous attention their forefathers paid to detail when weaving for nobility. The history of Lanka is replete with the influence of South India and the movement of the royal court. Whenever the court moved, the royal craftspeople, poets, astrologers, jesters, physicians, magicians, musicians, storytellers and even courtesans followed. Traces of this movement can still be found through lineages like at Kataragama where an inherited tradition is maintained either through ritual or custom.

Hand block printing was an early addition to fabrics in all-traditional societies. Designs were engraved on wood and these blocks were used to print motifs on fabric. In sri Lanka this tradition was known as somana. The practice disappeared locally but it is still a living tradition in Rajasthan in modern India.

Several years ago the Sri Lankan NGO Cultural Survival presented "Mats and Moguls" at the Barefoot Gallery to introduce sophisticated urban customers to the qualitative standards of traditional crafts in the region. Hand-woven reed mats were collected from remote villages in the Wanni in Sri Lanka, and a selection of hand block printed fabrics from Brigitte Singh, a student of a hereditary lineage in Jaipur, the Sangram Kala Sangam. Brigitte of French ancestry, followed the tradition by marrying her mentor Sangram Singh's son and best pupil Suriya Vijay. Her work that was on display has today set the standards for hand block printing in India. Naturally all her design elements and motifs are from the storehouse of Indian design.

In 1997 Cultural Survival presented 'Devi-Devata', an exhibition of sacred art that it had commissioned from that year’s winner of India's National Excellence Award, Babulal Marotia. These court artisans of India re-created a pantheon of local gods and goddesses as well as the Buddha from images, which until then had been restricted to temples or were cast in bronze. Gold leaf, real mineral colours like lapiz for blue; paper made by hand and specially created for the purpose of painting; and an entire studio of artists working together made these portfolio paintings a collectors item.

Cultural Survival also built the Samudra Cottage at the Taj Samudra in Colombo and used this model of a rural homestead in the heart of the city as a school to teach urban children the living heritage of this country. This led to the creation of the Ulpotha Sanctuary for a locaal stockbroker -- its first convert to green capitalism. Ulpotha has been described in some sections of the British media as one of the most favoured places to visit on the planet for the new millennium. At Ulpotha, Cultural Survival repeated the Samudra Cottage experience in the countryside and covered the interiors in Brigitte Singh fabrics, mats made in the Wanni and other village artifacts which the World of Interiors, March 2000 issue features with pictures.

With 'Wild Flower' Cultural Survival presents its Living Heritage Collection. Once again there has been a fusion of Indian technology and Sri Lankan design, but this time on fabric. The motifs and design elements are all locals. Cultural Survival now works with Rasheed, a hereditary Jaipur craftsperson, who for several years worked exclusively with Brigitte as her principal printer. This partnership has yielded this limited edition of curtains, bedspreads, pillowcases, cushion covers and quilts hand-made and block-printed in Rajasthan for a discerning local market.

This is yet another small step in cementing the co-operation between Indian and Sri Lankan crafts people that is quality conscious and which will result in a transfer of technology at a village level. The trade mark "Living Heritage" enjoys IT access to niche markets worldwide through its portal of cultural websites.

"Wild Flower" by Living Heritage will be on display and sale on April 7 and 8, 2001 at the Barefoot Garden Cafe adjoining the Barefoot Gallery, 704 Galle Road, Colombo 3. Since quantities are limited it will be sold on a first come basis. Customers are adviced to come early to avoid disappointment. Cultural Survival also invites you to join the BBC, CNN, Discovery Channel and many thousands worldwide who regularly visit the portal of Living Heritage Websites to learn more about Sri Lanka.

Wild flowers for Avurudu

By Hiranthi Fernando

Sri Lanka is home to thousands of wild flowers, with more than 800 endemic species. The flowers are the theme of a new collection of block prints on cotton in the Living Heritage Collection presented by Cultural Survival, a Sri Lankan NGO.

Cultural Survival has been involved in promoting traditional crafts and practices in Sri Lanka as well as in the region. Some years ago, they presented 'Mats and Moguls', where hand woven reed mats were collected from remote villages in the Wanni and exhibited together with a selection of hand block printed fabrics by Brigitte Singh from Jaipur. 'Devi-Devata', their next effort recreated a pantheon of local gods and godesses as well as the Buddha from images hitherto confined to temples or cast in bronze.

The Samudra Cottage built by Cultural Survival at the Taj Samudra as a model of a rural homestead was repeated at Ulpotha, where a typical rural village with all its traditions was recreated in the countryside. Ulpotha is now a popular tourist destination.

With its current venture titled 'Wild Flower', Cultural Survival hopes to reintroduce to Sri Lanka, a technique that was in use in days gone by, explained Manik Sandrasagra, the driving force behind Cultural Survival. Hand block printing existed in Sri Lanka as it did in many traditional societies. An old system of blocks was used in Sri Lanka for printing and some of these ancient blocks are still found here, Sandrasagra said. The traditional practice known locally as 'Somana', is not seen much in the country today, although it is still a living tradition in Rajasthan, India.

'Wild Flower' is the result of a fusion of Indian technology and Sri Lankan design. The wild flower motifs and design elements used are all local. The borders used are taken from temple motifs and also show the influence of artists like Manjusri. The printing has been executed in Jaipur in partnership with Rasheed, a craftsperson from Jaipur.

"We are hoping to bring Indian craftsmen and teach our craftsmen to do the block printing in villages here," Sandrasagra said. "We are also looking at starting a craft village, possibly in a war zone, where there are many displaced people with no employment."

Hand block printing is a time consuming process since each colour has to be introduced separately using different blocks. Initially, the blocks have to be cut as well. "It is a highly skilled task," Sandrasagra stressed. Experiments are also being carried out with natural dyes, which however do not always work well with fabrics. The Garden Cafe at Barefoot will take on a new look on April 7 and 8, when the Wild Flower collection is launched as a New Year presentation. Features such as a virudu singer will give added local flavour. Initially, a limited quantity of hand made and attractively block printed curtains, bedspreads, bed sheets, pillow cases, cushion covers and quilts, on finest quality Indian cotton, will be introduced to the local market.

"Wild flowers for Avurudu" is reproduced from The Sunday Times of 1st April 2001.

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