Aipan
2018-03/2018-03
Project FUEL
India
The murals of Khati are based on the traditional folk art called ‘Aipan’, that is specifically found in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. 'Aipan' is derivative of a Sanskrit word which means 'to pigment'. Auspicious in its bearing, it is traditionally made using the colour ‘red ochre’ and rice paste. And as believed, these motifs are the bearers of good fortune, known to evoke divine power, and they ward off the evil. The art comprises lines, dots, and various geometric and rhythmic patterns.
The murals were not just inspired from the life lessons of the villagers but they also touched upon community issues like stigma around menstruation, importance of education and family planning and such.
The murals were conceptualized by the project’s head artist, Poornima Sukumar. She is seen here is painting Aipan patterns on the wall.
- Title: Aipan
- Date Created: 2018-03/2018-03
- Location: Khati, District Bageshwar, Uttarakhand
- Type: Mural
- Contributor: In the second edition of the Wise Wall Project, Project FUEL collaborated with The Hans Foundation to collect and paint the life lessons of the villagers of Khati.
- External Link: The Hans Foundation
- Medium: Weather-proof Exterior Wall Paint
- Project: The Wise Wall Project is an initiative by Project FUEL and FUEL Foundation to document the rural wisdom of our villages and celebrate it through art murals. The initiative transforms villages into living classrooms, turning the walls of the same onto blackboards and canvases that uncover striking yet simple life learnings. The project aims to ignite a movement of transforming the long forgotten villages into open-air galleries, exhibiting human wisdom for anyone and everyone in the world to see and benefit from. In the second edition of the Wise Wall Project, Project FUEL collaborated with the Hans Foundation to collect and paint the life lessons of the villagers of Khati. Khati has now become the second village after Saur, in the recent history to have a documented database of life lessons from an entire community. And as wishful as it gets, the village has now been transformed into a living storybook that tells the tales of Khati, like never before.
- Photography: Jaison James
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