Fieldwork
Begin with the people who make it.
A finished object tells only part of a story. We want to understand the working day behind it: how a skill is learnt, what a maker chooses, and what it takes to keep practising.
Documentation work with artisans in Telangana has begun. Nothing from it is published until the people involved have given written consent.
The first step is to listen, build relationships and ask practitioners to shape the priorities: what they want to sustain, where support would help, and what would count as a useful outcome for them.
We hope the work can support livelihoods and help skills pass to future generations. Its focus and any practical support should be agreed with participants, starting with the benefits they want for their work and community.
Proposed first project · Telangana
Cheriyal scroll painting
Cheriyal's narrative scroll painting and mask-making tradition is our proposed starting point. We hope to spend time with practitioners, learn how pictures and stories come together, and understand the opportunities and difficulties they describe in their own words.
The pilot and participating workshops have yet to be confirmed. We will add visits, conversations and photographs here as the work takes place and participants agree to publication.
What we hope to learn
- The making: materials, tools, techniques and the decisions that shape a piece.
- The learning: how knowledge passes between generations, families and students, and what helps that learning continue.
- The livelihood: what practitioners want for their work, where support could help and how they would recognise a meaningful benefit.
We will ask permission before recording or publishing. A field note will distinguish what we observed from what someone told us, credit participants as agreed, and leave room for corrections.
Help us begin a conversation
If you practise a craft, work with a local collective or could offer an introduction, we would like to hear from you. Tell us what you would want a visitor to understand.
Introduce yourself →