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I began by searching the flea markets of Delhi. In these I found a number of old sarees. 73 These garments contained faded and damaged embroidery I felt might be useful to the project. However, these fabrics comprised only a small part of the research. Because the project was conceptually driven, I found that I needed to develop materials that would enable me to more articulately draw parallels between the garment and ideas I was discussing. In order to portray the theme of Manipulation, I experimented extensively with woven non-stretchable fabrics in an effort to develop a stretchable, ‘man-made’ cloth. Although a range of knit or lycra fabrics might have been used for this purpose, I wanted to develop a metaphor for a flesh trade that was rough, inconsistent, dark and felt like a net. After many experiments, I developed the unique nature of this garment by tearing a satin fabric into one-inch widths. These I laboriously hand knitted into a seamless dress (see Fig. 6:3). 71 These included assorted satin fabrics and silk brocades, jacquard woven fabrics, beads, studs, jewellery, lace, and tassels. 72 An outer garment worn chiefly by women of India, consisting of a length of 5.5 to 6 meter lightweight cloth with one end wrapped about the waist to form a skirt and the other draped over the shoulder or covering the head. 73 At this time I also visited the National Museum and Red Fort in Delhi, the Indian Museum, the Victoria Memorial Calcutta in Kolkata, and Ramgarh Fort. These museums all held significant collections of traditional Indian fabrics and garments. By accessing historical data regarding fabric, I was able to concentrate on purchasing second-hand materials that had both aesthetic and historical resonance with my proposed research area. I purchased the fabrics and brought them with me to New Zealand, as I knew they would be hard to procure after I left India. At this early stage in the project, I felt it might be important to include fabrics in my work that had ‘lived’ in the world of which I was intending to speak. I also wished these fabrics to have embedded within them traditional signifiers of customary meaning. Significantly fabric from this early collection of materials appears in the artwork for belonging (in the golden tissue used in the veil). 72 66
Fig. 6:3 These images show a number of early experiments where I was considering the use of machine-made samples of knitted/woven fabric. Although these experiments proved unsuccessful, they demonstrate early concerns with the potential of mixing of wool, satin and cotton strips. To create metaphors that would speak of physical, psychological and sexual manipulation I experimented with various fabrics. I used a combination of techniques that included ammonia bleaching, distressing, and the crinkling of cotton substrates. Similarly, a combination of sewing, slashing and rough-washing layered fabrics produced other results that were helpful in developing surfaces for discussing physical abuse. At this time I also began experimenting with the traditional Indian technique of bandhej. Historically this procedure uses small locally grown grains (like lentils). These are tied in the fabric and then the cloth is dyed to a desired colour. The grains are then removed. By experimenting with this technique eventually developed textures that referenced HIV warts. 74 Fig. 6:4 Above are examples of experiments undertaken in 2006. The first texture is developed as a metaphor for physical manipulation. Here I was stitching, washing and slashing different layers of fabric so they formed a ‘whole’ through a process of integration and disintegration. The second texture is based on psychological manipulation. Here I was using ammonia bleaches to distress the denim fibre. The third texture was an experiment I undertook to find a ‘voice’ for the symptoms of AIDS. Using an adaptation of the bandhej technique, I employed a stretchable transparent fabric into which lustrous red studs were tied. 74 These warts are a symptom of the later stages of AIDS infection, (see Fig. 6:4). 67
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