‘Vernacular Furniture of North-West India’ Project
A collaborative research project between Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), CRDF, CEPT University and the South Asian Decorative Arts and Crafts Collection Trust (SADACC), Norwich, UK.
About the exhibition ‘Itiha: stories and traditions of vernacular furniture’
Vernacular furniture is used in the everyday life of people of a particular region or community and is made by craftspeople using locally available materials. ‘Itiha: stories and traditions of vernacular furniture’ is an exhibition that focuses on the six-year-long journey about the research on the vernacular furniture of north-west India and highlights aspects of design, function, making, as well as associated stories and narratives that signify its relevance in a given context. The exhibition is an outcome of the ‘Vernacular Furniture of North-West India’ project, which is the first-ever research on vernacular furniture.
The exhibition is now open for viewing to the public. Click here to view the exhibition in self-paced mode.
The virtual launch this evening was preceded by Jay Thakkar (Head Exhibitions CEPT University & Executive Director, DICRC). It was followed by a Presentation about the Vernacular Furniture of North-West India project and Announcing the launch of project outputs by Mansi S Rao and Rishav Jain. Post the virtual walk-through, an insightful Panel discussion by Dr Jyotindra Jain, Dr Rima Hooja, Dr Ben Cartwright and Mitraja Bais was seamlessly moderated by Mansi S Rao
In case you have missed the inauguration, you could view it here
About the project
‘Vernacular Furniture of North-West India’ is an international collaborative research project between Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), CRDF, CEPT University, Ahmedabad, India, and the South Asian Decorative Arts and Craft Collection Trust (SADACC), Norwich, UK. It is generously funded by The SADACC Trust. North-West India covers the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana. The research was executed in various stages, Phase I: Gujarat, Phase II: Rajasthan, and Phase III: Punjab & Haryana.
List of outputs of the project ‘Vernacular Furniture of North-West India’
About the Books
- Sahaj: Vernacular Furniture of Gujarat
Sahaj: Vernacular Furniture of Gujarat, co-authored by Mitraja Bais, Jay Thakkar, Samrudha Dixit and Ben Cartwright, is the result of the first-ever survey and accompanying research of vernacular furniture in Gujarat. It is the result of Phase I: Gujarat of the Vernacular Furniture of North-West India project conducted collaboratively by Design Innovation and Craft Resource Center (DICRC), CEPT University and the South Asian Decorative Arts and Crafts Collection Trust (SADACC), UK. This book focuses on vernacular furniture in Gujarat from c.1900 to the present. Nearly 2000 furniture pieces and associated objects were recorded during the course of this research.
The vernacular furniture presented in Sahaj plays an important role in the tasks and rituals of everyday life in Gujarat, and in some cases, has done for centuries. Furniture items are presented in five use-based chapters: Aasan: seating; Manch: sleeping; Manjush: storage; Sapaat: surface; and Vastu: objects. Each furniture type is accompanied with detailed physical information (materials, construction methods, scaled drawings and exploded drawings made using 3D modelling software) and a more human story (location, contextual photographs, oral histories). Gujarat is a large and environmentally diverse state with a number of different communities and language groups; the vernacular furniture in Sahaj reflects this diversity.
Sahaj is published by the CEPT University Press and supported by Gujarat Tourism, Government of Gujarat.
- Anaikya: Vernacular Furniture of Rajasthan
Rajasthan is famous as a land of kings full of glittering palaces and monuments, and for its rich tapestry of different crafts. This book argues that there is a hidden tale, a form of cultural heritage waiting to be celebrated. Anaikya means ‘diversity’ in Sanskrit and Hindi, and it is a fitting title for a book that introduces the vernacular furniture of Rajasthan.
From palaces with hundreds of rooms to rural homes with only one, this traditional furniture is woven into daily life. It includes larders made from mud and dung in thatched desert houses in Barmer; through to a room called pendo for storing water pitchers in the courtyards of the havelis of Shekhawati that are known throughout India for their painted frescoes. It also includes the furniture of royals, like the throne chair in Udaipur which tells the story of a Rajput king who refused to obey the government in Calcutta.
Anaikya contains incredible craft stories. Take the majju from Vagad, a wooden cabinet whose insides are so intricate, and full of secret compartments, hidden openings and false panels, that they could function like a safe. Or the kaawad made in Chittorgarh, a wooden portable shrine, whose doors unfold to become a long row of paintings of the holy epics. Or the mudha weavers in Ajmer, who make stools and chairs from sarkanda grass.
Inside, the reader will find the stories of the people who make and use this furniture, descriptions of the crafts involved, and a set of exploded drawings that help to show how the furniture is constructed. We introduce places and lifestyles and use a wide range of photographs and illustrations.
Over 1,500 furniture pieces and associated objects were recorded during this research. We present them in five sections: Aasan (Seating), Manch (Sleeping), Manjush (Storage), Sapaat (Surface) and Vastu (Objects). We also consider several questions. Why is this the first study of its kind? How have craft practices changed over time? What happens when vernacular furniture leaves the everyday?
Anaikya is the result of Phase II of the Vernacular Furniture of North-West India project, a collaboration between the Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), CRDF, CEPT University and The South Asian Decorative Arts and Crafts Collection Trust (SADACC), UK.
Like the previous phase in Gujarat, the result of Phase II: Rajasthan is twofold. Anaikya: Vernacular Furniture of Rajasthan is accompanied and complemented by the Catalogue of Vernacular Furniture: Rajasthan. The catalogue presents, in detail, over 400 vernacular furniture pieces and objects from Rajasthan. The subsequent and final phase of this project is in Punjab and Haryana.
The book Anaikya: Vernacular Furniture of Rajasthan is published by the CEPT University Press.
About the Catalogue
- Catalogue of Vernacular Furniture: Gujarat
From a humble machi (low stool) to a robust pataara (chest), a wide array of vernacular furniture and objects have adorned the traditional houses of Gujarat for centuries. The furniture and objects in this catalogue, whether highly ornate or purely functional, play an important role in the lifestyles and material culture of Gujarat’s population. Catalogue of Vernacular Furniture: Gujarat, co-authored by Mitraja Bais, Jay Thakkar, Samrudha Dixit, Ben Cartwright and Mansi S Rao, features over 400 pieces of vernacular furniture and objects from Gujarat. These pieces have been shortlisted from nearly 1200 examples of furniture and objects recorded across the state. The catalogue is an outcome of extensive fieldwork, research and documentation carried out for the international collaborative research project titled Vernacular Furniture of North-West India.
The Catalogue of Vernacular Furniture: Gujarat is published by the CEPT University Press.
- Catalogue of Vernacular Furniture: Rajasthan
From a humble machi (stool) to a robust majju (cabinet), a wide array of vernacular furniture and objects have adorned the traditional houses of Rajasthan for centuries. The furniture and objects in this catalogue, whether highly ornate or purely functional, play an important role in the lifestyles and material culture of Rajasthan’s population. Catalogue of Vernacular Furniture: Rajasthan, co-authored by Mansi S Rao, Samrudha Dixit and Ben Cartwright, features over 500 pieces of vernacular furniture and objects from Rajasthan. These pieces have been shortlisted from nearly 1519 examples of furniture and objects recorded across the state. The catalogue is an outcome of extensive fieldwork, research and documentation carried out for the international collaborative research project titled Vernacular Furniture of North-West India.
The Catalogue of Vernacular Furniture: Rajasthan is published by the CEPT University Press.
- Catalogue of Vernacular Furniture: Punjab
From a humble patada (low seat) to a robust sandook (cabinet), a wide array of vernacular furniture and objects have adorned the traditional houses of Punjab for centuries. The furniture and objects in this catalogue, whether highly ornate or purely functional, play an important role in the lifestyles and material culture of Punjab’s population. Catalogue of Vernacular Furniture: Punjab, co-authored by Rishav Jain, Mansi S Rao, Ben Cartwright and Abhishek Ruikar, features over 450 pieces of vernacular furniture and objects from Punjab. These pieces have been shortlisted from nearly 2782 examples of furniture and objects recorded across the state. The catalogue is an outcome of extensive fieldwork, research and documentation carried out for the international collaborative research project titled Vernacular Furniture of North-West India.
The Catalogue of Vernacular Furniture: Punjab is published by the CEPT University Press.
- Catalogue of Vernacular Furniture: Haryana
From a humble patada (low seat) to a robust sandook (chest), a wide array of vernacular furniture and objects have adorned the traditional houses of Haryana for centuries. The furniture and objects in this catalogue, whether highly ornate or purely functional, play an important role in the lifestyles and material culture of Haryana’s population. Catalogue of Vernacular Furniture: Haryana, co-authored by Mansi S Rao, Rishav Jain, Ben Cartwright and Radha Devpura, features over 470 pieces of vernacular furniture and objects from Haryana. These pieces have been shortlisted from nearly 2205 examples of furniture and objects recorded across the state. The catalogue is an outcome of extensive fieldwork, research and documentation carried out for the international collaborative research project titled Vernacular Furniture of North-West India.
The Catalogue of Vernacular Furniture: Haryana is published by the CEPT University Press.
About the Drawing Portfolios
Drawing Portfolio is a collection of technical drawings of vernacular furniture pieces. There are four volumes of drawing portfolios, one from each respective state. It is one of the outputs of the Vernacular Furniture of North-West India project. From all the four states, a total of 124 furniture from the furniture typology were selected and 744 drawings are produced in detail, containing 2D and 3D isometric and exploded views. The project uses three main mediums to represent the findings of the research - text, photographs and drawings. The text and photographs provide an insight into anthropological aspects such as location, community, landscape and the social roles of the vernacular furniture pieces in their everyday or ceremonial contexts. Drawings, on the other hand, act as a tool to understand the structural complexity and dexterity of making of vernacular furniture.
A message from Prof. Jay Thakkar (Co-founder and Executive Director, DICRC, Associate Professor, CEPT University)
This is one of the flagship projects of not only India but the entire South Asia. This collaborative research project will not only bring value to the rich heritage of Indian vernacular furniture but also open up multilateral avenues for various designers, artists, curators, craftspeople, storytellers, collectors, curators, scholars and researchers to work within the field of vernacular furniture of India.
