Peacocks -Installation

While evoking the beauty of the peacock — an often-appearing image in Indian textiles — its style here is reminiscent of those in southern Indian arts, unlike the more realistic representation in the Morkuti Pichhavai. With hand printing and painting traditions having existed in the region of Tamil Nadu historically, the attempt of this commission was to explore the possibilities of its application on the sarees of Kanchipuram. Accordingly, a richly metallic tissue fabric, is used as the base here, in a blend of weaving and hand painting. The textile reflects light differently when viewed from different angles, introducing a dynamic sculptural dimension.

The Visvakarma Commission explored the possibilities of using the hand painting techniques of Tamil Nadu on the Kanchipuram sarees, which resulted in this textile. Heavy tissue base fabric is used to paint the traditional peacock patterns. The stylized and decorated peacock design used in the panel represents South Indian art. The panel is created by painting pigments onto the tissue fabric, which gives the panel a sheen and causes the motif to play "hide and seek" when viewed in different lighting conditions.