Style and Grace_Indian Sari

          Listening to 'On the Run (Part ll) with Jay-Z and Beyonce as I write this...
                                         'toast to cliches in the dark past...'
                   .... and 'Jiya laga na...tum bin mora' from the film 'Talaash' ....
                                                    it's not Coltrane ...but ...

           Ok.

           Simply, I'm making a sari.
           Out of a veneer of plywood.
           Inspired by my beautiful sari
           designed by Paromita Naidu
           and her company Lotus Eye.

           My Lotus Eye sari is shown below...

My Lotus Eye Sari

         The ceiling height in my office is 
         about 11 feet plus, so I was able 
         to fold the sari over a rod and 
         hang the rod with piano wire from
         wood lattice which is just below 
         the ceiling itself. 

               I first met Mita about 5 years ago, just after returning from my first trip to 
               India. During that trip I was privileged to spend time in Dharavi and since
               one of my interests in architecture is multiple housing and community, 
           that walk through what is called a slum ( they call it a slum; we call it 'home'...)          
                           sparked a lot of thought. It's even sparked a few designs...

                                                                So...
                                           Beautiful Saris is only part of it......

                                                                but

                                         Bigger story: I'd like to incorporate

                                   the simplicity, elegance, colour, style and

                                         grace of Indian saris into architecture...

               So the sari I'm making is a work in progress. Started with ideas for panels,

               for incorporating jewelry I brought back from Hyderabad into doors or other

               panels (see earlier post) , numerous sketches of doors, and now a sari. 

                            Or maybe it's more about a veneer fabric inspired by a sari...

                               A couple of early sketches of doors are shown below....

                     You need to realize that the goal for these doors/panels is that they
                     will be very contemporary, in very contemporary houses and other 
                     buildings. So it will be a process of refining the designs....

                     My Lotus Eye sari is unique; different too I think for LE from what she 
                     usually designed at that time. It's almost like a batik and I love that it 
                     was handmade, and that there are both repetitive elements and all 
                     kinds of free form, uninhibited parts. 
                                                         Searching for freedom.

                     The fabric of the sari I am making is composed of a 2 ply aircraft 
                     plywood, very thin and light. It comes in 4x4 or 4x8 sheets. The 
                     finished surface is one ply douglas fir or cherry, which comes rolled 
                     up and is seriously fragile.
                     It's called a 'flitch' and I glue it to the substrate and hand paint it...

                     Below is a photo from the first day, showing a 4' x 4' piece of the 2 ply 
                     substrate and a small piece of fir flitch....oh, and some gesso painted 
                     on the substrate as a base for different colourful paint for the future 
                     reveals...
                                                                                     
                                                               More tomorrow....