It’s been two months since my last blog entry. Things became quite hectic with the kid's summer holidays!

 I want to take you on a brief journey to a museum in Bangalore that I visited earlier this year, particularly the textiles I saw there. This museum MAP was built by Mathew & Ghosh Architects, a stunning modern building, bang in the middle of the city! The interiors are as stunning as the exterior, and I can honestly say I felt like I was in a cool museum in London or New York!

I love antique textiles, but when I was a child and my mother took me fabric shopping, I often disliked it and became bored. However, those experiences stay in one's subconscious from childhood, and today, I love exploring them. I studied the History of Art in the UK and learned a great deal about Western art forms, from architecture to paintings and sculptures, but the Indian textile scene is still something I am discovering. It is vast! Most of these textiles are fashion-based, operating very differently from home furnishings, but their influences can blend.

A dear aunt suggested I visit the MAP Museum in Bangalore, where an exhibition titled “Chay Reds, Ferrous Black: The untold stories of Indian trade textiles in Sri Lanka” was being held. While the subject matter and symbolism of the pieces were emphasised, what interested me most was the application of these hand-printed and hand-painted cloths. I have always preferred printed textiles with a more lived-in feel for interiors. Not always, I believe every building and space demands its colours, but mostly because I dislike fabrics that look stiff. The uniqueness of antique fabrics lies in their softness in terms of feel and colour, as they have been used and washed so much, which adds to the life they have lived. Here are some images I managed to capture in a very dark room of the ‘PALAMPORES’ (as the exhibition described it), “derived from the Persian and Hindi words palamposh or palangposh, meaning bedspreads, and they were also used as wall hangings. The predominant colours are red (from madder) and black. 

The sheer size of these textiles is magnificent. I especially liked this floral chintz – the frayed edges, colours, and patterns – just stunning!

The use of simple wooden blocks to create these beautiful bedspreads…

And I loved the small prints too.

Other textiles I loved seeing included the antique Kantha (running stitched) bedspread – I've loved Kantha embroidery for a long time and own a few antique pieces myself.

 How stunning are these!

And although I am always on the lookout for furnishing textiles, this gorgeous silk brocade from Uttar Pradesh / Gujarat skirt from the early 20th century did not go unnoticed.

They even created a cool kaleidoscope mirror room with this pattern – fun!

Finally, I am sure they will host many beautiful shows over the years, but textile artist Gurjeet Singh’s mad and stunning textiles steal the limelight…

Sile Bolna (stitched lips)

Gurjeet Singh

I can honestly say that pictures do not do justice to his work. You feel the tactility of them when you stand in front of them. And even though the faces look distorted, there is a certain beauty in them. I cannot quite describe it.

These were some of my favourite textile pieces at MAP, and I left feeling thoroughly inspired! I can’t wait to explore more textiles from India, especially for interiors. It’s a fantastic way to travel and discover, given how vast the country is. Do stay tuned in…