Surface Embellishment is directly influenced by the craft of lippankam. Here, I wanted to break with patterning and symmetry. I made the the pulp from excess or scrap yardage of kala cotton, an organic cotton seed re-introduced to Kutch which is a rain-fed, pesticide-free crop. The kala cotton initiative begun by the NGO Khamir has been very successful and has given farmers and weavers direct access to one another.

 

Working on a vacuum table, I dispersed the pulp within a pool of water. As the water was draining, I added mirrors at different stages. Some are completely submerged within the fibres, some are sitting above the fibres. What is displayed in this process is how strong the fibres are and that it is only the fibres holding the mirrors in place. Surface Embellishment II has handmade mirrors on both the back and front, and create reflections from both sides, while Surface Embellishment I has machine-cut mirrors only on the front.

 

I wanted the paper to become a kind of architecture or a wall that is both porous and reflective.