founder/ facilitator
A young enthusiastic textile designer from Kerala, the southernmost state in India, who has committed herself to master the art of natural dyeing, develop the skill of garment construction, and acquire the understanding of fibers. Her interest in natural dyeing was evoked when she attended a short-term course while pursuing her Undergraduate degree in Textile and Apparel Design from National Institute of Design in 2018. Nurturing her interest, she started to focus on experimenting with every dye source she got access to and with locally foraged materials, documenting each process. She is now working towards spreading the knowledge and technique of natural dyeing to more individuals as well as communities encouraging communal practices and creating awareness of chemical free living. She completed a residential permaculture design course in 2019 from Aranya Agriculture Alternatives (Permaculture India) Founded by Mr. Narsanna Koppula, from which helped her to construct solution-based approaches and conscious design choices by taking reference from traditional Indian textile technology and following permaculture ethos. She is entirely dedicated to contributing her skills to communities that work towards a sustainable future and ecologically balanced life.
Firsha
facilitator/ artist
Firsha V is a self-taught ceramic artist and a social science researcher. My husband, a visual artist, taught me the basics of clay and the techniques and tools used in clay works. But what most interested me when I began working with clay was the idea that I could make my own creative piece of work with just a tiny piece of clay. Making miniature pots sparked my fascination, which later led me to create wall hangings, jewellery, and clay buttons. Combining vdiffrent materials, especially clay and thread, also greatly interests me. For the past four years, I have shared my ideas with students from schools and universities and women from different communities.
Benny
facilitator/ artist
I'm Benny, a theatre and cini artist with formal training. But I do allow myself to venture outside of my profession and practice art., thinking that art is a journey in which we strive to explore the diverse natural treasures that are all around us. I'm enthusiastic about any tiny piece of simple art I come across. I would be excited to work with experts and learn from them. I attempt to go beyond the conventional approaches and techniques used in many art forms. It greatly interests me to experiment with natural colours and use them for painting and dying. I explore making sculptures and pottery from natural clay by mixing diffrent type muds.