Art in Transit to celebrate Gandhi Jayanti by initiating conversations around clothes and textiles

Fabric Footprints, a new initiative by the Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology Bengaluru, in collaboration with the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation and Art in Transit will be held in the city to mark Gandhi Jayanti. The event, which will be held in Cubbon Park Metro Station on the October 2 between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., seeks to “celebrate the philosophy of Khadi and the importance of such handmade, self-resilient textile systems for economic freedom and self-sufficiency.” According to Swati Maskeri, Head of Studies, Industrial Arts & Design Practices, Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design & Technology, industrial textile systems are extractive — polluting ecosystems and perpetuating unsustainable practices for decades. Theseincludea mend-and-make workshop designed to teach people to mend and revitalise their damaged clothes, a community weaving workshop, which celebrates the essence of Bhavani Jamakkalam, a traditional woven carpet from Erode, Tamil Nadu, an eco-printing workshop that attempts to capture Bengaluru’s plant life, an exhibit of Deccani Wool by the Centre for Pastoralism and a Brown Cotton exhibit by the Karnataka-based Udaanta Trust. Fast fashion and waste Yash Bhandari, Faculty, Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, says that at a time when fast fashion’s contribution to textile waste, particularly with non-recyclable polyester, is significant, “we would like to encourage a culture of personalisation, repair, and repurposing.” The initiative’s vision extends to creating convenient, everyday spaces for mending and customising fibre textiles, thus making sustainable fashion accessible to all, says Bhandari.