Tribal man with computer Tribal man with computer by Subhash AroraDastkari Haat Samiti
For centuries, the Indian states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal have been a centres of metalworking. All sorts of objects, from bowls to jewellery and religious trinkets are made by craftsmen who specialise in the dhokra, or lost wax casting.
The Dastkari Haat Samiti organisation commissioned craftsman Subhash Arora to create this unusual miniature metalwork figure and her desktop computer, and documented his expertise in the dhokra process along the way.
The lost wax process isn't unique to India, however the intricacy of this process means that it's a dying art. This coming together of craftsman and computer helps to ensure that traditional skills are not entirely lost.
Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The metalworking process begins with… mud. A mixture is made of soft clay soil and rice chaff, materials that can be found almost anywhere. This mud is worked to remove any air bubbles, and formed to make the core of whatever it is that's being fired. In this case, a small bowl.
Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The clay core is left to harden under the hot sun while the wax is collected and worked into sheets and ribbons. Some contemporary craftsmen use tar, rather than wax as it's much cheaper and just as malleable.
Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The wax is applied to the clay core, and the design is etched into the wax surface. The wax forms a 'positive', or exact copy, of the metalwork design. As it effects the quality of the final product, this stage is usually done by the master craftsman himself.
Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The designs can be very detailed, it all depends on the quality of the wax carving and the skill of firing the mould. Particularly intricate features can be moulded by hand and glued on with a dab of molten wax.
Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti
A second layer of mud is then applied over the wax. This layer has to be particularly soft, yet applied with firm pressure, otherwise it won't capture all the details of the wax. Most importantly, small holes are made in the mould to allow the wax to drain out when fired.
Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti
We now have moulds with a core of mud, a layer of carved wax, and another layer of mud which has taken on the negative shape of the wax. Now, the moulds are fired to harden them up and to melt away the sandwiched wax.
Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The liquid wax is poured from the mould, leaving a hollow space between the two mud layers. This is why the English name for this process is 'lost wax'.
Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Scrap of metal, usually brass, are collected from old castings or broken objects, and melted down. The mould will be heated up again, and this liquid metal will be poured back into the mould.
Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti
When the mould is full of liquid metal, it is cooled rapidly by placing it in a bucket of water. The change in temperature sets the metal and cracks the mud mould. All that's left over is the solid metal object. The final step is to file and polish any rough edges.
Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Products (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Each mould requires a number of hands to make it; to collect the mud, wax, metal, and firewood, to make the moulds and cut the designs, and to watch the fire and handle the hot moulds.
Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Products (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The handcrafted nature of this process means no two moulds are the same, and as the moulds are destroyed during the process, each metalwork object is unique.
Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Products (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The fact that these objects of art were made by little more than wet clay, rice chaff, road tar, and scrap metal makes them all the more remarkable.
