This book is a detailed record and documentation of the student’s 6 months tenure in the Kumaon. Starting with a contextual study of the place-setting of the project, i.e. the Kumaon Himalayas, it covers topics related to society, culture, economy, geography and ecology. The next part of the book focuses on Avani, starting at the very beginning of the organisation, to its various pursuits in livelihood generation and community empowerment in the Himalayas. There is also a detailed section on the various textile activities undertaken at Avani.
Next, the student focuses on the design research for the project - the information that informed her design brief, i.e. market research, trends, SWOT and an understanding of her client's needs. Since the project was conducted at the time of a global pandemic, consumer behaviour and the market had changed drastically. It was imperative for her to study the trends carefully before starting the actual work.
The second half of the book is dedicated to the design process and final outcome of months of hard work and fun. Inspiration and abstraction, the laborious and exciting process of explorations, endless renders on Photoshop, mistakes and lessons learnt finally conclude in a collection of 19 stoles (9 pieces in the first collection, 10 in the second).The book ends with a small section containing all the other side projects and activities that the student undertook at Avani. Aside from the main design brief that the student had undertaken, it was these ‘side’ projects that have taught her life skills and given her memories that she would always cherish.
Handicraft, Kumaon, NGO, Textile, Weaving
