Development of Design Catalogue for Sustenance of Traditional Craft of Chamba Embroidery

Designs and motifs in traditional Chamba embroideries have deep rooted cultural significance. They were symbolic of the beliefs of the community who created embroidered masterpieces using the simplest of raw materials and stitches. The designs and motifs used were very specific to embroideries and characterized by the selective treatment given to them. In order to sustain this craft the author considered it crucial to document the original designs and motifs along with other aspects of the craft. The themes represented in embroidered coverlets of Chamba are well known and have been interpreted by many scholars. However, the varied motifs used in the embroideries need to be documented, which was the focus of this paper. In an exploratory field survey, it was observed that current embroiderers were not well versed in drawing and did not have access to the traditional themes, designs and motifs. Therefore, a “design catalogue” was developed for capacity building of artisans and for use as reference material to create awareness with respect to traditional themes, designs and motifs. This paper presents the research undertaken in the production of the “design catalogue”, which included processing of 137 photographs of museum pieces, development and the classification of 768 sketched motifs. The observation of two different styles of motif (folk and miniature style) is noted, the development of the catalogue is described alongside subsequent intervention work with artisans, product development work and exhibition towards sustenance of the traditional craft of Chamba embroidery.

Development of Design Catalogue for Sustenance of Traditional Craft of Chamba Embroidery