Studio aids looming revolution in Chennai, one weave at a time

Suchitra is one among those who had enrolled for the basic workshop at Shuttles & Needles, a studio in Adyar has been taking the weaving revolution slowly and steadily to hobbyists and designers alike. The studio that has been galvanizing a silent weaving movement in the city. 

On the other side of the same studio is Namita Saldanha, an alumnus of Chelsea College of Arts, who is working on her mobile designer loom.

R Naresh, managing director of the studio and textile engineer, said that apart from promoting it as an art form, the exercise can also indirectly benefit the handloom industry. “The documented history of weaving is more than 8,000 years old. It must be an art form for it have survived for that long. If someone can take it up as hobby and they appreciate it, this percolates to the handloom industry, as they can appreciate the drapes like Kanjeevaram and Banaras better. The community concept is basically to exchange ideas and inspire others to take it up, keeping it alive. It is a creative journey,” he said.

The workshops conducted by the studio include basic and advanced levels. From straps to stoles, the workshops give them the know-how of hand weaving, fibre arts and hand spinning.  The looms available at the studio are as small as 10 inches, apart from others in varying sizes. These can be bought at Rs 10,000 upwards. Naresh said, “They can come back and learn more advanced techniques. While we teach them the means and leave the creative aspect of coming up with the designs to them. The looms we employ are simple and are from across the world like New Zealand and Japan.”

The studio has been seeing enthusiasts from across India and abroad from countries like Singapore coming down to Chennai to enroll for classes on weaving. 

Kalyani Pramod, one of the directors, a textile designer passionate about handlooms and a Nari Shakti awardee, added that the studio hoped to create a culture like in the abroad where knitting and weaving were taken by many across communities. 

“In India we restrict vocations to a particular community. Here though we take up crocheting and knitting, why should we leave out weaving,” she said. Kalyani has taken weaving to schools for children with special needs. She pointed out that even fashion institutes have left out weaving for long from the curriculum. “How can you learn about fabrics without knowing how to make them,” said Kalyani.

Kalyani, who has worked towards making younger generation get back on the looms in villages earlier, said that there was a time when rural folk imitated the urban community, “I have always though the reverse should also happen. This could help the handloom industry to flourish,” she said. 

The studio has also signed up with schools to promote weaving among student communities. Naresh added, “It may not work as vocational training later. But since we are seeing it as art, there are ways to use it as means to teach subjects like algorithms.”