Jaipur
India is incredible, all the cliches you about being overwhelmed by the colours, sounds and smells are true - it is unique and takes the first time visitor a day or two to acclimatise.
Ross, my partner and textile artist, had been interviewed about his use of stitching in his practice by artist Stewart Kelly. It came up in conversation that he was leading a Block Printing tour of Delhi and Jaipur and one thing led to another…
Delhi, Old and New offer incredible contrasts - the tiny unplanned ancient street of the Chandi Chowk brush up against the vast colonial boulevards, parks and squares and high rise building.
The Amber Palace, sitting at the top of the gorge with the town of Amer at the bottom is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
‘Amer was once known as Dhundar and was ruled by the Kachhwahas from the 11th to the 16th century, until the capital was moved from here to Jaipur. Raja Man Singh built this fort in 1592 AD and Raja Jai Sigh I expanded and renovated it later. While many such old structures have been either destroyed or replaced by other things, this fort has stood against all the tests of time and invasions.’ Jaipur The Pink City
Traditionally attired cleaners at the Amber Palace
You are always accompanied by animals wherever you roam, whether monkeys of various breeds, dogs, sacred cows, elephants or even leopards (which we knew were around by sadly didn't see).
Traditional arches are everywhere in Indian architecture, the ones below are in the Royal Palace and a domestic house tucked away off the beaten track, both in Jaipur.
Sanganer, outside Jaipur, is traditionally the home of block printing and the town is a bustling hub of activity. Artisans sit creating the wood blocks by hand in open fronted workshops, while textile studios close by use the blocks to create the hand printed fabrics the areas is famous for.
Bagru is 32km from Jaipur, and like Sanganer, is an area known for its traditional block printing and indigo dyeing and many printing families still reside in the area called Chhipa Mohalla (the printers’ quarters). After fabric has been dipped in the Indigo vat, it is washed thoroughly by hand - incredibly hard work in the hot sun.
Bustling markets, whether flowers or vegetables, are a riot of smells and colours and are full of locals buying their groceries.
I documented our tour with a visual diary and you can see a larger set of images and read about our adventures in the links below.
Text and images © Jonathan Dredge