Weaving age-old stories

Exhibition Oftraditional Designs

they make to our rich cultural diversity.

“The purpose of the [2019] exhibition was to promote indigenous Australian textile design to a global audience and reach beyond the confines of the Internet and social media,” says Jessica Stalenberg, manager, Bábbarra Women’s Centre, Bábbarra Designs.

The exhibition Jarracharra (Dry Season Wind) proved so successful that it has gone on several international tours – with the latest stop being India.

Before getting to Mumbai, Jarracharra was on display in Kolkata’s Indian Museum from December 15, 2022 till January 22, 2023.

Two artists – Janet Marawarr and Deborah Wurrkidj – also toured in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru.

The experience in India has been incredible, Marawarr tells Indian Link.

“At the opening in Kolkata, we did our traditional dance,” she begins. “I was happy with the way our fabric was displayed at the museum with bamboos. We also learned different, newer ways of making cloth. It’s definitely been an interesting trip.”

As part of their tour, Marawarr and Wurrkidj also explored heritage textiles in the states of West Bengal and Odisha. Wurrkidj’s personal favourite was the Tussar silk woven by members of the Santhal tribal community from the Trijanga village at the Navajeevan Collective.

“I liked how they spun silk,” she says. “I also appreciated the paintings on the silk.”

Tussar silk is made from rearing silkworms or moths.

Marawarr was taken by the fine painting style on the silk. She even purchased a painting of a jungle vine – a design she can relate to through her own work. Around the world, Marawarr is renowned for printing on a range of textile surfaces using lino cut and screen-printing techniques. Her designs tell her ancestral stories in loose patterns and bright colours.

Both Marawarr and Wurrkidj were also impressed with the traditional Kantha embroidery work which involves stitching patchwork cloth from rags.

The magnificent art of wax printing, also known as Batik in West Bengal, took the duo by surprise.

“We visited the Alpha Textile Studio, Sadaf India Studio and Beej Studio as part of our tour,” Stalenberg shares. “They were incredibly generous and shared their natural dye textiles and stories of their origin with our group.”

The aim of this trip was to exchange knowledge with other women’s groups in India and bridge the gap between the two cultures.

“On our visit to a village in the