On the web site of the Typecraft Initiative, one can see the letter ‘R’ etched in a foliage-rich, botanical typeface. It carries the essence of the colourful reverse appliqué and patchwork type of the Dhebaria Rabari embroidery practiced in Kutch. This age-old craft has been interpreted as a font in collaboration with 5 craftswomen, Balli ben, Jeni ben, Seju ben, Parma ben and Dawal ben.
In actual fact, collaboration is on the coronary heart of what Typecraft does. Based in 2012 by visible designer and educator Ishan Khosla, in partnership with Andreu Balius and Sol Matas, the challenge is a one-of-its-kind, making a digital typeface from a craft or tribal artwork. As Khosla states, the initiative combines conventional information methods with design and digital expertise.
Thus far, the staff has collaborated with craftswomen, who apply Chittara ground artwork, Godna tribal tattoos, Paakko and Soof embroideries, Madhubani artwork and the Barmer appliqué and patchwork. The method of font creation varies from craft to craft, relying on the motifs and the ascribed meanings for every. The newest within the collection revolves across the Mithila artwork from throughout the Madhubani district of Bihar. Nevertheless, the work on that’s going gradual as a result of ongoing pandemic. The Typecraft staff has made a aware resolution to work solely with craftswomen. “If you assist girls, the entire household advantages,” says Khosla. The thought isn’t just to offer livelihood but additionally bridge the gaps between design and craft, rural and concrete, mainstream and the subaltern.
The Synergy Rabari Latin Typecraft is a collaboration between Balli ben, Jeni ben, Seju ben, Parma ben and Dawal ben (craftswomen), designers Ishan Khosla and Shreya Meher, and sort designer Andreu Balius. Picture: courtesy Ishan Khosla
The method begins with the Typecraft members researching the craft, the meanings of the motifs, and extra. As an illustration, for the Godna typeface, they tried to know how tattoos act as markers of id for the Gond group of Chattisgarh, and in addition their position in therapeutic illnesses. They performed workshops with the tattoo artists concerning the type of pigments used, how the needles clustered and the way the tattoos are utilized on the pores and skin. The craftswomen and artists are inspired to make letters on their very own utilizing supplies like paper, ink and scissors. Particular kits are designed for workshops for every craft. Those for Soof, for instance, are completely different from the Rabari ones, as the previous makes use of triangles and waves. The kits function cutouts of those patterns and craftswomen play with these to create easy and geometric motifs. With no define supplied to information them, they’re free to conceptualise their very own designs.
For lots of the ladies, utilizing these supplies is a novelty, and the preliminary days are spent in making an attempt to get accustomed to these. “Often, craftspeople are given patterns by designers, which they then must execute. We’re difficult that. On this course of, they’ve full possession over the method as they’ve to make use of their creativity to create the designs,” says Khosla. As soon as they’ve created the patterns, the Typecraft staff provides ‘constraints’ reminiscent of peak, width and thickness. This results in lots of innovation and studying. “As an illustration, with Paani ben, one of many older craftswomen, we explored different types of designs for the soof embroidery primarily based lettering, which we’re calling “Soof serifs”,” writes Khosla in a paper explaining the method. “We additionally explored using condensed letters, i.e., letters which can be narrower in width, as they appear to be extra according to the proportions of soof embroidery.”
A dialogue between Ishan Khosla and Sajnu ben, who practices the Dhebaria Rabari embroidery, at her house in Kukadsar village in Kutch, Gujarat. Picture: courtesy Ishan Khosla
Additionally, the letters, de-contextualised from the motifs they work with, supply a problem to the artists. It encourages them to think about newer kinds that their craft can take. Additionally, with a majority of the craftswomen being illiterate, the method of creating the typefaces motivates them to learn and write.
As soon as the patterns are prepared, they’re scanned and vectorized, with the Typecraft staff checking them for consistency and proportion. In response to Khosla, after this, the letters are introduced into software program like Glyphs to check the performance of the typeface.
The thought of the challenge is to problem the Eurocentric constraints on design. Modernism in design, particularly the Bauhaus motion with its minimal aesthetic, banished the lushness of ornamentation. “This had a numbing impact on a rustic like India. Modernism eliminated all that means and performance from decoration,” says Khosla, “It’s unhappy as decoration has a perform of organising society, and satisfaction in id. India is just not a much less is extra nation. The motifs in tribal and conventional artwork are layered, advanced and nuanced. And our challenge is a celebration of that inventive spirit.”
The fonts are already being utilized by designers and publishers. Khosla has additionally been giving digital talks about bringing the lineage of historical crafts into a up to date context. One such current discuss was with Pavitra Rajaram, model custodian, Sarmaya, a museum with no boundaries, which focuses on artwork, artefacts and residing traditions. Lauding Khosla’s initiative, Rajaram says, {that a} challenge reminiscent of that is necessary within the indian context because it brings out the spirit of collaboration. “Additionally, within the East, artwork is the start and never the top of creation. It isn’t meant to be a full cease. Somewhat, it’s a continuum. And thru his challenge, Ishan is taking the dialog ahead,” she says.
