What I learnt at the Simple System and Service Design Studio

Reflection- “Cultural heritage and value of craft traditions”, Ms Judy Frater, keynote

What did you observe about system design?

• Kararaksha Vidyalaya, the institute for artisans in Kutch acts as a bridge between the western educational system and the local knowledge. Their intent is to ensure survival of the artists in this age of technology, where their jobs are in jeopardy.

• To find a grey area between the two and to address the issue is a great motivation to build such a system around.

• Historically, these artisans would only weave their textiles for their close families or acquaintances. Their work was then valued as designer, artistic work.

• Over time, with markets growing further and commercialisation taking place, their grip in the market went down and their work began getting viewed as labour.

• Dealing with a problem that didn’t just happen overnight problem under the constraints pointed above, they established a training system where their jobs are not harmed while they spend time getting trained.

• The institute ensure this by creating courses that run for two weeks only. The artisans can train side by side and do not have to start afresh.

• The courses scheduled to the artisan’s comfort- they don’t clash with their festivals, again ensuring their work remains unaffected.

What causes this system design to grow and survive?

• This system enables the preservation and growth of ethnic crafts on national and international events, eg- the market at Santa Fe.

• People buy crafts considering it is ethical to appreciate local arts and crafts. • With the ever increasing technological advancements, the originality of traditional work by artisans gets compromised. With such a system in place, it is made easier for artisans to pursue their craft as well as stay true to their work.

• The course also emphasises the importance of traditional work, of adapting something that is rooted in history, which triggers the need to sustain old practices and keep authenticity intact.

• By bringing similar people with similar interests together, the system creates the idea of a community of artisans acting as support systems to one another.

What emotions did you feel?

• I felt a sense of empathy when this problem was spoken of. Artisans and their skills don’t fluctuate as much as the demand of their work does. At such a time where it begins to hit a low, the need to establish a self-sustaining system to help them continue working is something very necessary.

What personal decisions are influenced or changed for you as an artist or designer?

• As art practitioners ourselves, I think we can imagine how their skillset also needs the right behavioural practices and platforms to flourish.

• It’s not that their traditions are lost, but they’ve changed overtime. A little push towards the contemporary idea, maybe a little influence in their work for people to acknowledge their uniqueness would be a good starting point to capture attention and keep up the work.

• But that in no way means that their traditions get compromised. It’s the right amount of interference that would bring attention and not compromise on their style, aesthetics and skills.

• I think the value in human crafted work should be appreciated more, since there is scope of making decisions at every point that makes a work of art more informed and thoughtful, than a computer fed design.

• Artisans should be given just enough work and platform as any artist, and they shouldn’t be seen as labour since they also know just enough to bring things in trend. The only thing that needs work is compatibility between all users and artists, which the platform tries to bridge.

What would be an ideal situation here?

• An ideal situation would be to train artisans more and more widely throughout the country so that there is informed decisions on their end. • The government could be more supportive by promoting local arts and crafts. • Brands like FabIndia who already endorse handmade work can really help reach out to local artisans. • People/Users should be aware of the problem and should consciously keep the culture alive. Broadly, appreciating work coming from our countryside helps life the economy. A little shift in perspective can being about a lot of good in this way.