Warli Art Workshop with LTI Staff

About

A Warli Workshop was conducted by Tisser Artisans for the staff of LTI in the Byculla Unit of Tisser India. In the light of pandemic, the workshop was taken online with 60 enthusiastic staff members on 11 Friday.

In the course of the 1.5 hours, Desna and Madhuri illustrated the history of warli art, the drawing of elementary figures of Warli community while engaging in a live banter over Zoom call.

From Tisser Artisans

The workshop was kicked start by the story of Jivya Soma Mashe, an award winning Padma Shri artist who brought this art form to life. He believed “There are human beings, birds, animals, insects, and so on. Everything moves, day and night. Life is movement”

Carrying forward the high spirit of history by Desna, who delved into her experience of practising Warli art form for two years, the staff members began relating to the age of art form to the many adaptations like Warli Sarees, Warli Dupattas, Warli Painting, Warli Teracotta bottles etc of today.

In the second course of the workshop, which involved practising the art form. Desna and Madhuri illustrated the basic figures of Warli Art form which included making the geometric designs such as triangles, circles, squares, dots and crooked lines are used to depict human figures, animal figures, houses, crops etc.

While mirroring the figures, the staff members also learned that in older times it was done not on paper, with pen, like they are practising but on a clay/mud background with sticks dipped in rice flour pigment.

From LTI Staff

The LTI staff members spent a unique Friday with Tisser Artisans where they learnt the story of Warli Community while practising their Art. This also increased their affinity towards the Warli masks them and many of their friends received.

Amongst the many notable feedbacks we received from them, one was the desire to attend workshops like this live, when the lockdown lifts and have open discussions with the Artisans. And second, they volunteered to help in the
ways in which corporates can lend a helping hand to the artisan community. Not just in monetary basis but in kind, where value, stories and learnings are shared.

It was a time well spend and profited in enriched knowledge about one of the oldest art communities of India.

Major Takeaways for Artisans

1. After the long gap in no direct interaction with consumers of their product, this established a connect which helps us make more.

2. The enthusiasm of Staff members helped us realise that given a fair chance, everyone can be evoked to the rich cultural heritage of India.

3. More exposure on how to teach and take workshops digitally is an avenue they want to explore more.