The 'Madhubani' folk art series

Recently I have been trying to revive my love for folk arts amid my routine.My designer instincts as always made me improvise and the results are depicted on canvas.Here are my efforts to recreate 'sun god' known and worshiped as 'suraj narayan' by the folks of Bihar in India.The medium chosen is acrylic on a 30" X 40"canvas.



A peek in to the completed canvas:


Completed canvas size:30"x40", Medium: Acrylic


Another 'Surya' depiction using acrylic on paper:



Acrylic on paper 4"x 6"

Usability in daily lives: pitfalls

Being a designer by training , I have always been observant of functionality of products around , be it a tangible 3 dimensional product or the intercative interfaces.Ther have been numerous ocassions where I experienced that an otherwise appealing and 'credible' product / interfaces that generates a sense of 'credibility' and 'trustworthiness' to the users had some or the other usability issues.

A great approach to design is to observe the common existing pitfalls from the user's perspective and address it in new design to create a better user experience. Being senstive to the existing design issues, being able to empathise with the USER or in other words being HUMANE are some of the most important pre-requisites for a good design approch.

Here I attempt to illustrate an overview of such an experience where I analysed that the product fell short in 'affordance' it offers from the 'Functionality' and 'Usability' point of view.

Scenario


Recently while searching for 'Mosquito Net' that could bought online, I came across this particlar site 'camping survival' that appeared as one of the search results. As a typical user with a set goal in mind I scanned through the site. The site apparently reinstates the perceived quality of 'credibility' by virtue of elements as 'security seal' by one of the trusted providers, a neat layout with good application of interface design principles.





The search task and observation.

I searched for the 'Mosquito Net' again using the search option on the site. This search resulted in many options for 'Mosquito nets'. Each option had link that opened a page for more detailed information about the product and an image of the product. Images of products always enhances the experience of online shopping as it allow buyers to view the product that they are buying. As a user I prefer to get as detailed view of product as possible before an online purchase and hence use the"Zoom" funtionality that allows me to ldo so. Following this insticnt of getting a feel of product I clicked the "Click to zoom" button and VOILA ! Opened a new window with exactly the same sized image ( much contrary to the expectation of the user and as 'afforded' by the 'click to zoom ' button).
oops!!





Well a perfect example of 'Affordance' belied ! User experience would have been better if the "Click to Zoom" button were disabled for products that did not had "zoomed" images. we should put user experience above coding convenience.

'Warli' Painting: 'Simple is beautiful'

Duration: 6 weeks


Tasks done and Processes:Contextual Inquiry, Literature Review

‘Warli’ painting is one of the age old styles of mural /wall painting practiced by a small tribe based in ‘Thane’ District of Maharashtra state in India.’ Warli’ draws its name from ‘Warla’ which in the tribe’s dialect means ‘a piece of land’. ‘Warli’ painting’s origins are said to date back to 2500BC to 3000BC.It bears striking similarities between the patterns illustrated on ‘Bhimbetka’ caves of Madhya Pradesh.




This dated mural painting style uses the basic graphic/geometric patterns and the rhythmic repetition of these patterns is used to depict the daily lives of this tribes. A beautiful interplay of simple forms as ‘Circle’,’ Triangle’ and ‘Square’ is used to adorn the walls on special occasions as marriages and harvest season.
The basic constituent elements of this art form, namely 'the circle', 'the triangle' and 'the square',draws its inspiration form elements of nature for example the circle representing the sun and the moon, the triangle inspired from mountains.Of all the 'square' seems to obey a different lineage and apparently is figment of human imagination, indicating a sacred enclosure ‘sanctum sanctorum’(to draw an analogy ,one can put it as a form inspired from the concept of ‘Garbhgriha’ of Hindu temples which houses the sacred of all ) or a piece of land.





A classic visual is resulted by varying the scales of these elements and creating a conjunction of these elements. For example ‘human figurines’ are represented by conjugation of two inverted triangles pivoted at a point, the upper triangle symbolizes the trunk of human stature where as the lower triangle portrays the pelvis of human. The circle is used not only for the direct depiction the ‘sun’ but also is an integral part of human figure depiction representing the head.


The most interseting of the facts is the usage of all organic and eco friendly raw materials for the illustration of this art form. It’s completely in agreement to the currently prevailing outcry of ‘Sustainability’ and usage of biodegradable ingredients, putting no extra burden on mother earth from bio-hazard point of view. Traditionally these paintings are done within the enclosures of their adobes/ huts. The background walls are prepared of a mixture of earth and cow dung, making a red ochre background ‘Geru’ for the wall paintings. The traditional ‘Warli’ practitioner uses only white for their paintings. Their white color used is a mixture of rice paste and water with a binding agent for gluing on the wall. The artisans use a bamboo stick as their paintbrush. Since these are occasional practices, there is an apparent lack of defined sharp edges and regularity in depiction of the murals.


What entices me most about this art form is the ‘simplicity’ of illustration and usage of plane geometric patterns as ‘Circle’ triangle’ and ‘square’. As is popularly quoted by designers ‘less is more’, this art for inspired me to believe ‘Simple is beautiful’.We the ones who belong to the fraternity of designers, are so hooked up by ‘cool look and feel’ factor that ‘simplicity’ tends to take a back seat. Thorough research of aboriginal and dated as well as contemporary art forms practiced in India, unfolds the hidden ‘Design thinking and practices’ that prevailed and lays the foundation of the various art forms of our diverse nation.


Here I take the pleasure to put forth a few of my attempts to depict this ancient art form of Maharashtra. I take pride in portraying some of my illustrations of ‘Warli’ and they are representative of or symbolic of the essence of engineering drawings and architectural detailing, apparent in the well defined geometric patterns with smooth edges! Thanks to my acquired instinct: ‘An eye for detail’ and extensive drawing /drafting background.

Madhubani Painting - folk painting of 'Bihar'

'Madhubani' or 'Mithila' painting is a folk art form of Bihar State in India.'Madhubani' literally means ''Forest ('Ban') of Honey('Madhu')".The origin of this art form is said to be set during the 'Ramayan era' that dates back to 7400BC approx. Its popularly believed that King Janaka of Mithila hired artists to adorn the walls on the auspicious occasion of his daughter Sita's marriage to Lord Ram.Since then this folk art has been an integral part of auspicious occasion as marriages in Bihar.





Originally practiced to adorn the walls, this art form has now crossed boundaries and is currently illustrated in various medias and background as paper, clothes and canvases.Madhubani Painting took a contemporary form in the 1960s and artists were encouraged to portray their inherent skills at global level.


My interest in exploring the regional art forms of India dates back to my growing up years in various states of India namely West Bengal, Bihar , Gujarat , Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.Folk arts have always intrigued me and I consider self to be privileged enough to have been exposed to various multi cultural and multi lingual states of India.


In addition to travelling , my formal education in Design , particularly in Architecture and later Industrial Design, brought me closer to the nuances of ethnic and contemporary art /design forms of India.I have been an avid painter since school days and the passion continues to grow.


And here I take pleasure to portray my attempts to recreate this art form.