The British Sari Story: background
This project was triggered by the drawings of Helen Scalway, an artist and researcher who spent three months drawing everything she saw inside a sari shop in Tooting, London. Her intricate and exquisite work can be seen on www.patternpatois.co.uk
I saw Helen presenting these drawings at a lecture – and was immediately fascinated. It seemed that the patterns told a story – and the drawings represented two worlds side by side – the patterns of traditional India in the heart of south London. I thought at the very least they should be exhibited and seen widely…. The patterns that Helen had discovered told a very poignant story.
I then met Sital Punja who runs Sari UK Limited, a fashion label that recycles saris and creates couture garments. Sital agreed to help to find traditional saris that would ‘illustrate’ the traditional elements of the drawings.
Then …. the three of us had the idea of taking the whole project a step further – by staging a competition to generate brand new sari design reflecting British Asian life today. Instead of the peacocks and elephants on traditional saris, perhaps we would see plants, vehicles and vegetables from the UK. Perhaps the colours will be different from those of India and the subcontinent, reflecting greyer light, weather and rain…
In 2007 we launched the British Sari Story national competition at the end of February. By the closing date four months later, more than 80 people had entered designs ranging from seaside scenes to cup cakes and the Yorkshire weather.
Ten winners were selected and their patterns were printed on to new saris by the Knowledge Dock Fabric, Print & Design Bureau at the University of East London.
They can be seen at the British Sari Story exhibition which opened at Brent Museum in September 2007 and which is now touring.