Immerse in this unique event that blends art and music this week

Therersquos a fascinating experiential art showcase lined up this weekend that involves a concept rooted in the idea of creative reconstruction mdash breaking unblocking recreating mdash that unites two distinct art forms to give audiences a novel experience From September 11 to 16 Tharangini a Bengalurubased wood block printing heritage studio is collaborating with Dhi Earth an ecofriendly textiles company for an exhibition titled unBlocking Archival Pattern Tharangini a Continuum 1970today On September 13 two musicians will conduct an interactive session on Carnatic music as wellOrganised by Mumbaibased art gallery ARTISANSrsquo Centre the exhibition features a series of exquisite textile and wearable art pieces that have been handcrafted in a particular manner Tharangini specialises in this unique 14step plantbased process for over five decades this studio has been imprinting ecofriendly natural resin layers on textiles thus creating pieces with vintage block printsMasulipattam print PICS COURTESYTharan Gini studio X DHI EarthBut what is lsquounBlocking Archival Patternsrsquo about for the everyday Mumbaikar ldquoIt is about breaking patterns both literally and metaphoricallyrdquo explains Radhi Parekh founderdirector of ARTISANSrsquo ldquoIt features smallscale contemporary wearable art created using block printing techniques using a freeform layering style It breaks the old repetitive block print pattern and challenges old layouts and colour schemes Designer Indira Varma from Dhi Earth has been working on it for a while with multiple talented artisans who make communal designsrdquoAn artisan works on a textile with a wood blockThe exhibition showcases a limited edition offering with over 6500 wood blocks collected in an archive by Tharangini over time The wood blocks include motifs and imagery drawing from South Indiarsquos iconography including florals mythical creatures like annams celestial birds architectural geometrics and the 12part design of the Tree of Life each has been reinterpreted via a contemporary artistic perspectiveA design titled Tamasvini patterned on a textileWe ask what is special about the process ldquoHandmade wood blocks are used to apply fermented plantbased paste to cloth which is then wrapped steamed washed and exposed to sunlight to bring out the designrdquo she says This slow process is timeconsuming but avoids waste typical of industrial printing While the handcrafted textiles are the star of the show one can also attend a wood block printing workshop on September 14 to witness and learn the art form itself from scratchA model dons a textile art piece and Intricate patterns on a sareeThere is also an interactive music session named Demystifying Patterns in Indian Classical Music and Konnakol It will be led by Dr Ambi and Bindu Subramaniam musical prodigies and children of the celebrated violinist Dr L Subramaniam Curious we prod about the connection between music related and textile art Parekh explains ldquoBy serendipity Padmini Govind owner of Tharangini knows the artistes personally we invited them to conduct this session during the exhibitionrdquo The rationale behind blending musical talent with block printing art is the common theme of pattern breaking mdash the concept is designed to break usual patterns and create new rhythms ldquoThe exhibition features textiles made with new freeform styles of block printing similarly Ambi and Bindu Subramaniamrsquos session focuses on adding Konnakol a South Indian Carnatic music form wherein rhythm is expressed in vocal syllables to their fatherrsquos legacyrdquo Parekh tells us ldquoThink of rapping but with monosyllables almost like Bharatanatyam in a senserdquoFrom left Indira Varma and Bindu Subramaniam at a music video shoot PICS COURTESYartisanscentre dhi___earthShe further explains ldquoThe visual patterns of block printing are very contextual to the new musical patterns being created Both the musical session and textile art break the mould to make something new I thought adding music to this already vibrant exhibition would be great where audiences get to interact with the artists too Itrsquos basically about breaking patterns of art to understand different patterns within art mdash almost like discovering a new language of itrdquoON September 11 to 16 exhibition September 11 6 pm to 9 pm preview and walkthrough September 13 6 pm music session September 14 2 pm to 5 pm workshopAT ARTISANSrsquo Centre 5256 V B Gandhi Marg Rhythm House Lane Kala Ghoda FortLOG ON TO artisanscentreENTRY RSVP mandatory Rs 2500 workshop