Woven Dreamscapes of Kashi
A multi-sensory VR journey through an ethereal, underwater dreamscape where drawloom-patterned silk textiles made of silver and gold - are illuminated by shimmering light reflections, echoing renowned textile designer, historian and artist Rahul Jain’s belief that these materials are “metaphors for light”.
Set to the hauntingly beautiful melody of DeBussy’s ‘Sunken Cathedral’, viewers glide around weightlessly, interacting with 3D-recreated textiles. Each interaction provides tactile feedback and reveals stories and the depth of craftsmanship.
Coming soon…
INSPIRATION & CONTEXT
This project was inspired by “Pra–Kashi: Silk, Gold & Silver from the City of Light” - an exhibition of textiles showcasing the finest traditions of contemporary weaving at the National Museum of India held in 2019. These textiles have been hand-woven on traditional Indian drawlooms over the last 25 years at ASHA, a silk weaving workshop in Varanasi.
In 2019, the ASCARI team captured this collection of 47 contemporary textiles as a 360˚ photographic experience. This is when we realized the limitations of traditional media formats to accurately represent the ethereal nature of these textiles. None of these formats - video, photos or 360˚ was able to do justice to the materiality of these re-imagined textile marvels of endangered weaving techniques.
In our conversations with textile historian and designer Rahul Jain, he points out, ”While it goes without saying that new technology permits a far more democratic public engagement and communication than ever before, it also empowers artists and practitioners to attract a younger, more diverse, audience that responds more to newer forms of immersion and pedagogy.”
“A vital conceptual idea that underpinned our retrospective exhibition at the National Museum of India, New Delhi, in 2019, but could not be realized in conventional analog display and communication. In the show, the textiles, with their highly-reflective metallic backgrounds, were intended to be experienced as ‘water’, in homage to their production in the ancient riverside city of Varanasi, which is revered in Indian thought and imagination as a climactic crossing over to immortality.”
- RAHUL JAIN
Rahul Jain is a leading expert on the traditional textile arts of India. Apart from his well-known scholarship and writings on India's historical textiles, he is recognized across the world for his workshop practice in drawloom silk- weaving. For 25 years, he has run the experimental workshop, ASHA, producing some of the world's finest, and rarest, woven silks
ASHA WORKSHOP
From the drawlooms at the silk weaving workshop Asha, in Varanasi Uttar Pradesh - these silk panels now feature in several major museum collections, including the British Museum, London; the Musee Guimet, Paris; the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Textile Museum, Washington DC. In 2013, ASHA was selected as one of ten craft workshops from across the world for the Jameel Prize 3, coordinated by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Most recently, in 2016, ASHA's work was featured in 'Fabric of India', a landmark exhibition on the history of Indian textiles at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
All images courtesy of Rahul Jain, Devi Art Foundation and Eka Archiving Services. The full catalogue and VR viewing room is available HERE.
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Over the last few years, we’ve tried to experiment with various forms of three dimensional representations of fabric. While it’s a supremely challenging endeavour to begin with, the difficulties increase exponentially with the complexity of certain weaves and materials. To accurately reconstruct these textiles wasn’t humanly possible until the technological advancements in AI image processing. Parallel to AI development, tools such as the UNREAL engine have been evolving constantly, providing newer avenues and newer ways to approach complex visual design challenges.
This is a collection and some snapshots of our R&D in progress.
