In late August this year, as the city was commemorating Madras Month, a fortnight-long exhibition titled \u2018Past Forward\u2019 concluded at DakshinaChitra that took a deep dive into \u2018the trans-oceanic cultural legacy and future of Madras Checks\u2019. \u201cThe exhibition merged traditional weaving techniques with generative models, enhanced by computational interlace algorithms, creating a unique platform for visitors to interact and co-create,\u201d says Karthik Prema Rajakumar, founder-partner, House of Thinai \u2014 known for its handcrafted furniture and decor \u2014 and also the brain behind Past Forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now a travelling exhibition, Karthik, 28, says the project (supported by the Center for Collaborative Arts and Media, at Yale and the TSAI Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale) will come to Bengaluru in January 2025 and a few other Indian cities before concluding at Yale late next year. <\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/life-and-style\/fashion\/ikkm8r\/article68806007.ece\/alternates\/FREE_1200\/Madras%20Checks4.jpg\" "\\"A")
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A visitor at \u2018Past Forward\u2019
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<\/div>\n \u201cThis research initiative explores, documents, and continually observes the connection between craft communities practising Madras checks, and generative art technology,\u201d he says. He adds that visitors at the DakshinaChitra exhibition designed their own Madras Checks patterns and colours, \u201cwhich will be included in the exhibition\u2019s expanding online digital collection\u201d. <\/p>\n These designs, says Karthik, will be co-created with handloom artisans and will travel to North America for a parallel exhibition. \u201cWe\u2019ve developed an algorithmic generative model (https:\/\/www.madras-checks.com\/generator) and made it live. Now, using this design generator we are looking forward to co-produce newer designs with the Madras Checks weaving artisans which is underway, and hopefully use them as furniture upholstery,\u201d he explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n Furniture at House of Thinai <\/div>\n This exhibition is the latest addition to Thinai Foundation\u2019s design archives that comprises research on craft and its communities, folk worship and lore.\u00a0\u00a0Karthik calls House of Thinai a \u201cresearch-manufacture unit\u201d, that he runs with Mano Ranjan who looks after the day-to-day operations and logistics of the studio, and Sheikh Ahmed,the Foundation, and design partner. <\/p>\n \u201cWe occasionally have individuals on board to help us with textiles, patterns, and other requirements ,\u201d he says, adding that they work out of their studio at Red Hills. Their latest launch is a contemporary day-bed, a take on \u2018kaithu-kattil\u2019 or \u2018charppai\u2019. \u201cFrom ideating the design to identifying the artisans and materials (wood, brass, organic cotton belt, and cashew shell oil), the process of its creation with artisans was exciting,\u201d says Kartik.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n (L-R) Karthik Prema Rajakumar, Mano Ranjan, Ezhil Madhii, Sanjana Balaji, and Sheikh Ahmed <\/div>\n Elaborating on the recently-launched jamakkalam series, he adds, \u201cThe idea was to combine fine wood craftsmanship and textile artistry to design a product that would be equally utilitarian, as aesthetic. This led to circling back to the time-worn easy chair typology of furniture. The collapsible nature of furniture is designed to fold into a single silhouette thereby making it a frame in which the textile art is fitted. This could ultimately be placed on a wall or hung up on a vertical surface, while also being an easy chair when needed,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n For the\u00a0 easy-chair typology that he calls, Trustfall, the team worked with weavers to document and understand the techniques of creating, of how a piece comes together, and how patterns are created. \u201cWe were lucky to work with Subaz from L B Singh Center at Bhavani who was open to experimenting with newer colours as well. Thus began the collaboration to co-create newer patterns, colours, and variations to produce jamakkalams.\u201d Today, Subaz is now exporting these jamakkalam designs, that Kartik calls \u201ca bonus of the research and co-creation initiative\u201d<\/p>\n \n An easy chair featuring jamakkalam <\/div>\n The firm also undertakes private and custom projects; 6-8 weeks for small, bespoke commissions, and upto 24 weeks for larger orders that are delivered in phases. An ongoing one includes getting upholstery embroidered by the Lambadi tribal woman artisans at Porgai Artisans Association that will be placed on an upholstered lounge seater. \u201cThe chair is specifically crafted and finished to provide both comfort and at the same time enhance the embroidery designs of the woman artisans. We\u2019ve been on it for three months now, and will launch it soon,\u201d he says, adding, \u201cAnother project is our experimentation with organic cotton and natural dyes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n A chair crafted at House of Thinai <\/div>\n But the one project his team is waiting to crack is furniture that blends mild steel and palmyra crafts of the Chettinad region. \u201cThis has been in the works for two years now, and it is tough because wood has been our go-to medium with everything and this mix requires something else. With R&D underway, I would say we are 70-80% there and hopefully, by this year-end, we will crack it completely,\u201d concludes Karthik.\u00a0 <\/p>\n![\"Furniture](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/life-and-style\/fashion\/x9s0cu\/article68806019.ece\/alternates\/FREE_1200\/03.jpg\" "\\"Furniture")
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