Apr 08 2023 to Apr 08 2023 6:30 p.m.
EVENT HAS ENDED
7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071
This talk offers glimpses into the archives of Maneklal Gajjar (c.1928-2012), textile block maker and master craftsman from Pethapur, Gujarat. The collection of paper prints of his blocks, books of accounts, correspondence with clients and films and magazine articles on him point to a singularly modern personality who is self-conscious, self-reflexive, and who transcends inherited practices and modes of knowledge. The materials compel us to reconsider craft and craftsmanship to include design, entrepreneurship, state patronage and the dynamics of public taste and recognize the metabolic inter-relationships between these categories. This talk is the third in Design History Now, a series exploring design histories that connect to our contemporary moment. The series brings together a selection of speakers who engage with design as a social, political and ecological agent, and consider how design is in turn shaped by these forces. The intention is to offer a vision of design history that is deeply critical in its approach, and in tune with its contemporary relevance and purpose.