Synopsis
Block Printed Textiles of India: Imprints of Culture describes how one of the subcontinent's foremost crafts has created a visual identity in India and has also been a significant source of revenue through centuries of international trade. Block prints are integral to both caste dress and modern urban style and have become a perennial favorite with Indian designers and in the global fashion market. Contemporary production and use of block prints is explained, and the social and historical roots of the craft are outlined in the book.
These textiles embody richly diverse histories shaped by trade, conquest and colonization, technological innovation and entrepreneurship. The book reflects the author's extensive field research over twenty-four years - working with block printers, block makers, dye producers, entrepreneurs, designers, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations, in museums and with private collections in India. The lavish illustration details the evolution of an ancient culture and craft.
Contents: Historical Outline of Block Printing in India -Technology, Trade and Revival; Contemporary block printing in India -Tradition, Revival and Globalisation; Contemporary Trade - Merchants, Entrepreneurs and Designers; Block making; Natural Resources - Fibers, Fabrics and Dyestuffs; Sustaining the Craft-Recent Initiatives; Indian Block Prints in Museums.
About the Author
Eiluned Edwards is Reader in Global Cultures of Textiles and Dress at Nottingham Trent University, UK, and also contributes to the Royal College of Art MA Design History programme and the V&A Arts of Asia course. She was previously Victoria and Albert Museum/London College of Fashion Senior Research Fellow in Textiles and Dress (2005-2009). She has a PhD in Art History and Archaeology (Manchester University, 2000). Her dissertation analyzed how social change was reflected in the material culture of Rabaris - pastoral migrants in Kachchh district, Gujarat - focusing on their textiles and dress. Since 1991, her research has concentrated on aspects of textiles, dress, fashion and craft development in South Asia, notably India and she has published widely on these topics. Her research has been supported by the British Academy, Nehru Trust, Pasold Research Fund, and Leverhulme Trust (Research Fellowship 2012-14). It has been widely disseminated through publications, teaching, conferences and exhibitions.
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