[caption id="attachment_120230" align="alignright" width="238"]
Dr. Ayesha Wickramasinghe[/caption]
Sri Lanka is famous for its “handicrafts” – handcrafted artisanal products that create an integral part of our identity not just as souvenirs for tourists, but also as products that embody Sri Lankan culture, people, and their innate creativity and craftsmanship.
Handcrafting a product means that an artisan, sometimes one whose skills have been passed down for generations, is mindfully engaging the raw material of the craft and using their unique skills to create an intricate and desirable heritage craft object that is impossible to replicate.
An artisan plays as important a role as a designer when it comes to creating craft objects, but the contribution of an artisan is often overlooked in favour of the designer who is celebrated for the design of the final product, even though it is an artisan who brought it to life.
Handloom is one of Sri Lanka’s most prolific and oldest crafts. “Dreams of Weaving” is a new social innovation project initiated by the Department of Textile and Apparel Engineering of the University of Moratuwa to advance investigations in that sector. The research team, headed by Dr. Ayesha Wickramasinghe and Dr. Sumith Gopura, together with research assistant Dilmini Yasara, has taken a look at the lives of the heroes behind the loom who have devoted their blood, sweat, and tears to preserve and treasure this remarkable industry.
The handloom weaving industry operates as a cottage textile industry in the country with a longstanding heritage, especially in the rural sphere. Many artisanal communities have had their skills passed down to them from generation to generation, preserving and maintaining their own traditional identities from one weaving community to another.
Artisans from certain regions of Sri Lanka often specialise in a specialist technique of weaving, like, for example, the weaving community of Udumbara, whose trademark form of jacquard weaving “Dumbara” has been practised by weavers since the time of the Kandyan Kingdom, supplying this unique handloom directly to the king himself in his time.
As an industry, handloom provides livelihoods for many households across the country, with women being chiefly engaged in the sector. Handloom sarees remain the focal point of this industry since the saree became the popular form of dress for women in Sri Lanka. As a craft textile, handloom also lends itself to a variety of fashion and interior lifestyle products, from upholstery to stuffed toys.
[caption id="attachment_120232" align="alignleft" width="327"]
Dr. Sumith Gopura[/caption]
As a craft, handloom is increasingly being used to explore and solve contemporary issues with the environment and consumption. Handloom in Sri Lanka is most often made from 100% cotton or silk yarn, both of which make biodegradable fabrics, and the weaving process is one that hardly uses any water, if at all, with very little waste. The emphasis of working with local artisanal communities in a non-exploitative and mutually beneficial means that the handloom industry and other craft industries create sustainable communities over the years.
Sustainability and responsible fashion have now become buzzwords in the global fashion arena, further highlighting the handloom and craft industries. As professionals in the industry, both Dr. Wickramasinghe and Dr. Gopura have recognised the potential of the handloom industry to blossom against the backdrop of new global fashion trends, making this one of their research interests through the Dreams of Weaving project.
To truly appreciate a crafted product, one needs to understand the full context in which that product was made, what makes it special, and the skills the creator used to make it happen. The Dreams of Weaving project speaks about the socio-emotional side of weaving communities and the artisan who criss-cross their dreams with yarn. “We expected to see this industry through the ears and eyes of artisans come through,” Dr. Wickramasinghe said.
Through many interviews with handloom artisans, a shape began to form, one of the nostalgic and sentimental conversations which opened up new ways of thinking and meaning to handloom apparel. Dreams of Weaving emphasised not judging a book, or person, by its appearance. Despite social stereotypes, research showed that the handloom artisans are strong-minded, determined, and skilful personalities who have found happiness among the colourful yarns they play with and strength from the loom.
“Sophistication and knowledge, not wealth, is now how we define luxury. The handloom artisans are not just mere daily wagers,” shared Dr. Gopura. “Craftsmanship’s place within new luxury – in terms of time investment, expertise, innovation, and uniqueness – is ever more important.”
“Emotions in Designs” is an upcoming trend where people value the background story of a product over the mere product itself. Sentimental value has become an important decision-making factor in buying a product, especially one handcrafted by artisans. “Apt marketing approaches are essential when it comes to Handloom and craft products,” Dr. Wickramasinghe said. “Marketing handloom products needs to promote who and where it comes from, heightening the sentimental value rather than the materialistic element of the products.”
Over the course of Dreams of Weaving, many artisans confessed that various social circumstances brought them to the loom, but their voluntary choice to continue weaving reflects the true passion and means that have been added to their lives through being part of this age-old industry.
“It was really motivating to see the courage and eagerness of these strong women working to be the best out of them every day, “Dr. Wickramaisnghe recalled. “Despite their age, many are elderly but young at heart. These artisans have found a companion in the loom as many gratefully expressed how they console their life as they intertwine this colourful yarn every day.”
Agreeing that age is just a number, Dr. Gopura shared: “Besides the senior artisans, some young girls are also taking up the road that has not been taken by many. Their determination is unimaginable, and their sparkling eyes had a lot to say about their ‘Dreams of Weaving’ mixed with the yarns and the loom. Weaving has already become a part of their life.”
[caption id="attachment_120231" align="alignright" width="591"]
The team behind Dreams of Weaving[/caption]
The backbone of the artisan community are the women who serve as supervisors, or as the study identified them, “instructors”, who provide most guidance to the women at the loom. Many artisans recognised these instructors as courageous ladies who provided “care” to the women they work with. “The relationship shared by the instructors and artisans is not the typical employer-employee kind of one – they are more like family,” Dr. Wickramasinghe shared, also noting: “We needed no other evidence to realise that with their companionship, they truly enjoy their time spent weaving.”
Speaking on the need for institutional in order to improve the handloom weaving industry, Dr. Wickramaisnghe noted that over the course of the Dreams of Weaving project, they came across many inspiring and enthusiastic individuals in the institutional bodies, one among them being Department of Industrial Development – Southern Province Product Development Officer Chandana Wijesinghe who lent his fullest support to the needs of this inquisitive study.
Dr. Wickramasinghe and Dr. Gopura also acknowledged the tireless efforts of the State Minister of Batik, Handloom Fabrics, and Local Apparel Products, along with the secretaries, directors, instructors, and the artisans involved in this study in the Southern, Central, and Western Provinces, as well as their research assistant Yasara for the invaluable effort in making the Dreams of Weaving project possible.
With the Dreams of Weaving project now complete, Dr. Wickramsinghe and Dr. Gopura have proposed an online exhibition space documenting artisans’ ancestry and skill to disseminate the findings of the project in a digital setting where the Sri Lankan handloom industry can attract a global audience and the attention of the younger generation.
Considering the global apparel trends of sustainable, responsible, and emotionally-driven fashion, Dr. Wickramasinghe and Dr. Gopura hope that this venture will serve to improve the versatility of Sri Lankan handloom products to allow them to seal their own identity in the global market and redefine the way we think about handloom.
Dr. Ayesha Wickramasinghe[/caption]
Sri Lanka is famous for its “handicrafts” – handcrafted artisanal products that create an integral part of our identity not just as souvenirs for tourists, but also as products that embody Sri Lankan culture, people, and their innate creativity and craftsmanship.
Handcrafting a product means that an artisan, sometimes one whose skills have been passed down for generations, is mindfully engaging the raw material of the craft and using their unique skills to create an intricate and desirable heritage craft object that is impossible to replicate.
An artisan plays as important a role as a designer when it comes to creating craft objects, but the contribution of an artisan is often overlooked in favour of the designer who is celebrated for the design of the final product, even though it is an artisan who brought it to life.
Handloom is one of Sri Lanka’s most prolific and oldest crafts. “Dreams of Weaving” is a new social innovation project initiated by the Department of Textile and Apparel Engineering of the University of Moratuwa to advance investigations in that sector. The research team, headed by Dr. Ayesha Wickramasinghe and Dr. Sumith Gopura, together with research assistant Dilmini Yasara, has taken a look at the lives of the heroes behind the loom who have devoted their blood, sweat, and tears to preserve and treasure this remarkable industry.
The handloom weaving industry operates as a cottage textile industry in the country with a longstanding heritage, especially in the rural sphere. Many artisanal communities have had their skills passed down to them from generation to generation, preserving and maintaining their own traditional identities from one weaving community to another.
Artisans from certain regions of Sri Lanka often specialise in a specialist technique of weaving, like, for example, the weaving community of Udumbara, whose trademark form of jacquard weaving “Dumbara” has been practised by weavers since the time of the Kandyan Kingdom, supplying this unique handloom directly to the king himself in his time.
As an industry, handloom provides livelihoods for many households across the country, with women being chiefly engaged in the sector. Handloom sarees remain the focal point of this industry since the saree became the popular form of dress for women in Sri Lanka. As a craft textile, handloom also lends itself to a variety of fashion and interior lifestyle products, from upholstery to stuffed toys.
[caption id="attachment_120232" align="alignleft" width="327"] Dr. Sumith Gopura[/caption]
As a craft, handloom is increasingly being used to explore and solve contemporary issues with the environment and consumption. Handloom in Sri Lanka is most often made from 100% cotton or silk yarn, both of which make biodegradable fabrics, and the weaving process is one that hardly uses any water, if at all, with very little waste. The emphasis of working with local artisanal communities in a non-exploitative and mutually beneficial means that the handloom industry and other craft industries create sustainable communities over the years.
Sustainability and responsible fashion have now become buzzwords in the global fashion arena, further highlighting the handloom and craft industries. As professionals in the industry, both Dr. Wickramasinghe and Dr. Gopura have recognised the potential of the handloom industry to blossom against the backdrop of new global fashion trends, making this one of their research interests through the Dreams of Weaving project.
To truly appreciate a crafted product, one needs to understand the full context in which that product was made, what makes it special, and the skills the creator used to make it happen. The Dreams of Weaving project speaks about the socio-emotional side of weaving communities and the artisan who criss-cross their dreams with yarn. “We expected to see this industry through the ears and eyes of artisans come through,” Dr. Wickramasinghe said.
Through many interviews with handloom artisans, a shape began to form, one of the nostalgic and sentimental conversations which opened up new ways of thinking and meaning to handloom apparel. Dreams of Weaving emphasised not judging a book, or person, by its appearance. Despite social stereotypes, research showed that the handloom artisans are strong-minded, determined, and skilful personalities who have found happiness among the colourful yarns they play with and strength from the loom.
“Sophistication and knowledge, not wealth, is now how we define luxury. The handloom artisans are not just mere daily wagers,” shared Dr. Gopura. “Craftsmanship’s place within new luxury – in terms of time investment, expertise, innovation, and uniqueness – is ever more important.”
“Emotions in Designs” is an upcoming trend where people value the background story of a product over the mere product itself. Sentimental value has become an important decision-making factor in buying a product, especially one handcrafted by artisans. “Apt marketing approaches are essential when it comes to Handloom and craft products,” Dr. Wickramasinghe said. “Marketing handloom products needs to promote who and where it comes from, heightening the sentimental value rather than the materialistic element of the products.”
Over the course of Dreams of Weaving, many artisans confessed that various social circumstances brought them to the loom, but their voluntary choice to continue weaving reflects the true passion and means that have been added to their lives through being part of this age-old industry.
“It was really motivating to see the courage and eagerness of these strong women working to be the best out of them every day, “Dr. Wickramaisnghe recalled. “Despite their age, many are elderly but young at heart. These artisans have found a companion in the loom as many gratefully expressed how they console their life as they intertwine this colourful yarn every day.”
Agreeing that age is just a number, Dr. Gopura shared: “Besides the senior artisans, some young girls are also taking up the road that has not been taken by many. Their determination is unimaginable, and their sparkling eyes had a lot to say about their ‘Dreams of Weaving’ mixed with the yarns and the loom. Weaving has already become a part of their life.”
[caption id="attachment_120231" align="alignright" width="591"] The team behind Dreams of Weaving[/caption]
The backbone of the artisan community are the women who serve as supervisors, or as the study identified them, “instructors”, who provide most guidance to the women at the loom. Many artisans recognised these instructors as courageous ladies who provided “care” to the women they work with. “The relationship shared by the instructors and artisans is not the typical employer-employee kind of one – they are more like family,” Dr. Wickramasinghe shared, also noting: “We needed no other evidence to realise that with their companionship, they truly enjoy their time spent weaving.”
Speaking on the need for institutional in order to improve the handloom weaving industry, Dr. Wickramaisnghe noted that over the course of the Dreams of Weaving project, they came across many inspiring and enthusiastic individuals in the institutional bodies, one among them being Department of Industrial Development – Southern Province Product Development Officer Chandana Wijesinghe who lent his fullest support to the needs of this inquisitive study.
Dr. Wickramasinghe and Dr. Gopura also acknowledged the tireless efforts of the State Minister of Batik, Handloom Fabrics, and Local Apparel Products, along with the secretaries, directors, instructors, and the artisans involved in this study in the Southern, Central, and Western Provinces, as well as their research assistant Yasara for the invaluable effort in making the Dreams of Weaving project possible.
With the Dreams of Weaving project now complete, Dr. Wickramsinghe and Dr. Gopura have proposed an online exhibition space documenting artisans’ ancestry and skill to disseminate the findings of the project in a digital setting where the Sri Lankan handloom industry can attract a global audience and the attention of the younger generation.
Considering the global apparel trends of sustainable, responsible, and emotionally-driven fashion, Dr. Wickramasinghe and Dr. Gopura hope that this venture will serve to improve the versatility of Sri Lankan handloom products to allow them to seal their own identity in the global market and redefine the way we think about handloom.