The journey of the graduation project of his MDes. in Ceramic and Glass Design took many twists and turns as it began in parallel with the pandemic.
The initial studies were made about craft, art, culture, society, and economic conditions of the region to understand and find the development possibilities in terms of skills training, product development and quality upgrade, for a new range of products for the contemporary market.
The project started by exploring the place, its resources, production possibilities, and technical and non-technical services around the town.
One of the most important parts of the project was the procurement of suitable clay. It began by collecting the samples from parts of the Betul district. Around 15 samples were collected, among which 2 samples worked. Consistent effort over 3 months gave the suitable clay body for form development.
The constraints of surface development and firing of wares motivated him to figure out alternative methods where Terra sigillata was used apart from glaze. The surface designs are loosely inspired from the folk art of MP.
He looked upon ongoing challenges and possibilities and figured out a way to execute all the proceedings of the project. Research and analysis in ceramics require a dedicated space where one can work with materials, resulting in studio development. A kitchen turned into a studio became the place of work for the rest of the project, where all the challenges and problems were meant to be solved. Perseverance, patience, and hard work became key factors to cross hurdles.
The execution and studio practices took place at Multai, M.P. with the support of family, local vendors, and potter community members. This was challenging in the beginning and turned out well at the end.
Entrepreneurship, Research, Studio development, Systems, Terracotta craft
