2011 | Eline Groeneweg-Bhatt for
Sukha Amsterdam
Packaging material
for the opening of
Sukha Amsterdam
04 Mar 2011
Commissioned by
Irene Mertens, Sukha
Produced by
Weavers’ Service Centre, Delhi (IN)
Material
Silk & cotton
Technique
Handwoven
Dimensions
1.20 x 20 m
Images
Above Charlott Henrikson
Image below: In store
Sukha Amsterdam
In India, cloth comes in all kinds, sizes and grades. In their range and diversity they are used for everything: adorning the body as saris or stoles; protection against the sun’s heat, dust and air pollution; doing all sorts in the home.
But even more deeply rooted than these everyday uses is the age-old tradition of wrapping things as a practical, informal and yet personal gesture, something akin to the Japanese art of gift-wrapping known as Furoshiki. It is this gesture of care that wrapping represents and the ease with which fabric is woven into everyday life that inspired A Square Piece of Cloth: packaging material with an afterlife.
For the opening of concept store Sukha Amsterdam, I designed a roll of gift-wrapping cloth with grids of woven cutting lines, thus allowing pieces of fabric to be cut according to whatever needed to be wrapped, right in front of the customer, and with no wastage.
The fabric is strong, durable, supple and lightweight. Moreover, one instinctively relates to it. It invites reuse rather than disposal, and lends something precious and personal
to whatever it wraps.
Studio Bhatt is a Dutch-Indian textile design studio committed to creating a cultural dialogue. Studio Bhatt combines the making of limited edition textiles with explorations on paper and writing. In series of works, the studio explores the space between the familiar and the strange and aims to reveal a diversity of perspectives.