MATERIAL EXPLORATION 5

Lac being pressed and rolled.

Lac shows the property of elasticity as when it is pressed and rolled it starts to elongate. Getting inspiration from this property of lac I tried to create something using rubber bands as a substitute. 

Can you see that picture below? That is what I created. I started with the idea of doing braiding with rubber bands but I couldn't do it then I tried to tie the rubber bands by knotting them together. The result was better than what I expected. 

Material Exploration 5

VISUAL EXPLORATION 5

Visual Exploration 5

Now I wanted to come out from the circles as it was getting too boring. So I changed the shape and tried to do something with squares. 

EXPLORATION 4 (Visual & Material)

Visual Exploration 4

A bangle is just a frame like structure and the Lac Bangles of jaipur are famous for their laheriya pattern . So keeping these two things in mind I wanted to explore further. First I sketched how I can create a structure using this idea. I created a prototype for my skecth using a thread and embridery frame. I wrapped the thread around the wooden frame in a symmetrical pattern. 

Material Exploration 4

Taking my exploration further I used split key rings and wrapped thread around them. Then I made a composition using these key rings on a black paper.

EXPLORATION 3 (Visual & Material)

Material Exploration 3

In my third material exploration I tried to explore further using broken glass bangles and colored powder. I created an abstract composition out these 2 materials.

Visual Exploration 3

 Further I explored what other patterns or composition I can make by sketching it. The picture above shows my explorations.

EXPLORATION 2 (Visual & Material)

Long sticks of lac

 During the process of making Lac Bangles, the lac is converted into thin long coils and strips which inspired me to explore and play with long lines.

Visual Exploration using lines

In my second visual exploration I tried to play with lines by first using straight lines and creating a pattern then I tried to convert these straight lines into wavy lines to create the laheriya pattern which is designed on the Lac bangles. After this tried to form a pattern using curved lines.

Material Exploration 2

Out of these visual explorations I chose the one with straight lines and further explored it with materials. I used coloured wooden sticks and colored powder to create a texture. 

EXPLORATION 1 (Visual & Material)

After completing our boards we had to start our explorations. Both visual and material…which seemed like a really tough task to do in the beginning but as I started to explore it became more and more interesting and a bit easier.

Explorations in class

Visual exploration 1

 In my first visual exploration I tried to explore how it will look if I placed many circles overlapping each other behind a large circle. I chose the shape of a circle as the bangles are circular.

After exploring it visually I tried to explore it using  materials. I wanted to see how will it look in real. So I made many circles using the pastel sheets and pasted them overlapping each other using a double sided tape to give a 3d effect. 

Material Exploration 1

The picture above (material exploration 1) is the result.

MATERIAL BOARD

Then i started working on my Material Board

Material Board.

My Material Board which consists of the material the craftsmen use to make lac bangles.

The material used in this board is :

• Lac
• Coloured Powder
• Stones
• Mirrors
• Aluminium wire
• Pearls

INSPIRATION BOARD

Then I began working on my Inspiration Board

An Inspiration Board is more specific and visual. A collection of visual references that are the starting point for elements that will eventually show up in the designed product.

My Inspiration Board

My Inspiration Board shows what inspired me to choose Lac bangles as my topic. The vibrant colours, fascinating way of making these beautiful ornaments, the beautiful pearls,precious and semi-precious stones. 

Mood Board

I was all ready with my research and my log book…now was the time for VISUAL BOARDS FOR IDEATION. We were asked to develop inspiration,colour,mood and material board for the topic we choose.It was the time to gather all the information i have and then put all of it, creatively on my boards.

My mood board

I started with my Mood Board.

Mood Board is typically a collage of images,fonts,colors,textures and samples of objects that define the style of the project. It serves as a visual tool to quickly inform others of the overall “feel” (or “flow”) of an idea or the proposed product.

My mood board depicts the rajasthani culture which shows happiness,festivity,celebrations,auspiciousness,vibrant colours. Women who wear lac bangles believe that it brings good omen to them and these bangles are a sign of marriage. 

Can you see that picture in the bottom right corner? That woman is wearing lac bangles on her wedding day. The rajasthani dancers in the picture represent happiness and celebration. Those ladies standing show the vibrant colours.

How are these beautiful bangles made??

The craft of making lac bangles is traditionally practiced by the Manihar or Lakhera communities in Rajasthan. Manihars belong to Muslim communities while Lakhera community consists of Hindus. Historically  both the communities are engaged in the craft of making lac bangles and the same is transferred to the younger generations too.
There are about 500 families involved in the lac bangle-making business in Jaipur. These families have their own Bhatti. Two to three persons can work on a furnace. The flat metal surface on either side of the Bhattiis heated by the fire in the furnace. On this the artisan makes bangles of different sizes. This process is generally done by the male workers while the female partner plays helping role. The bangle making involves three major steps:

• Making of colors

• Making of bangles

• Finishing

The base brown color lac is initially coated with white color

Making of colors: 
The process of making colors starts with melting the Lac pieces in kadhai (shallow vessel). The heating is done till the solid lac pieces turns into semi-molten state. At this stage beroza and giya pathar powder is added along with powdered colors brought from the market. The mixture is stirred well. Once the mixture is properly made heating is stopped and the liquid is allowed to cool down to a semi solid state. After this it is stuck at the end of a wooden or cane stick. Different colors are stuck on different sticks and shaped into a cube form. The color used depends on the market demand. Traditionally red, green and yellow colors are used.   

Making of the bangles: 

Thin coils are cut into pieces using a metal strip.

Normal lac is stuck on a wooden rod and rolled over a flat surface to make it into a cylindrical shape. This lac is then heated slowly over the coal Angethi (burner). The heated lac is continuously pressed and rolled over the flat iron plate with the help of Hatta. The colored lac is heated simultaneously and then applied evenly by rubbing it on the lac. The artisans make sure that the lac has reached a sufficiently warm and soft stage before applying the color on it. This process is called Rang Chapna. 

The coil is heated slishtly to soften.

Once the color has been applied to the lac base it is again shaped with the help of Hatta into a thin coil and cut off from the plain lac rod. The thickness and the length of the coil approximately depend on the final shape and size of the bangles. This whole process is done by a single artisan and then passed on to different aritans. The coil is then placed in a farma, and pressed with the help of hatta so that the coil takes the shape of the farma. Coil is then taken out and heated again over the burner so that the ends can be joined together to form a bangle. The process is called Moojodaai. Thus it is passed over to another artisan for further work. The semi formed bangle is slipped into a round wooden beam with a tapering end for different sizes and adjusted for size. The artisan rubs the lac bangles over this wooden beam with the help of a piece of cotton cloth dipped in oil. This gives shine to the bangles. The process is called Ghotaai. Once the size and shape is obtained wooden beam along with the bangles is dipped in cold water to freeze the shape. Bangles are taken out and kept at a clean cool place.

Finishing: 

The bangles are ready to be embellished with sequins, semi-precious stones, mirrors, beads etc. For applying the sequins, they are heated over a tin plate kept on a small burner. The metal base of the sequins gets heated and easily melts the lac surface on which they are placed and stick there after cooling. They are picked up one at a time and stuck on the bangle. The process requires great precision. It takes much longer when working with smaller sized sequins. This process is called as Chipai. The embellishment is done by the women of the family.

You can watch the video of making lac bangles here:

https://youtu.be/5LgmB6JndEs

Where does this Lac come from?

The antiquity of this natural resin goes as back as the vedas, where the Laksha taru (or Palas) in Sanskrit, or the Lac tree has been mentioned. In the Atharva Veda, there is a small chapter devoted to the description of Lac insect, its habits and usefulness. The story of the notorious Lac palace built by the Kauravas in a plot to eliminate the Pandavas, in an episode from the 3000-year-old Mahabharata epic sheds more light on the history of this material.

Lac 

Crimson red, plant sucking, tiny insects such as Laccifer lacca, Carteria lacca and Tachardia lacca colonize the branches of selected species of host trees and secrete a natural scarlet resin known as Lac. Later the different layers of resin residue on the coated branches of the host trees are scraped off as long sticks known as sticklac, crushed, sieved and washed several times to remove impurities till it shows up in natural red color. This Lac, acquired from Balrampur in Uttar Pradesh is further heated to settle down the impurities and get the best of it floating on the surface. To this molten Lac, which is originally brick red in color, the bangle makers further add wax (beroza) to increase the cohesiveness, titanium (Ghea pathar) to increase the volume and coloring agents. Generally the quantity of talc varies from 5% to 95% and is highly instrumental in determining the quality of the Lac bangles.

Traditional Wristlets of JAIPUR

                                      COLOURFUL LAC BANGLES

Considered a sign of good omen and worn by married women in the Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat,  lac bangles  have been very famous in the country. If you ask any Indian woman if she likes to wear bangles, just ask for a show of hands and you’ll know. The jingling sound that these pretty things make, are something that make them lovable. Not only do they make a woman’s hands look attractive but they are also a kind of traditional symbol for a lot of different beliefs. It is also considered to be an auspicious piece of ornament. An ancient art specialized to perfection; these colorful bangles are the amalgam of Rajasthan's rich crafts tradition. 

The Rajasthani rituals are known to require specific traditional ornamentations and different festivals seek different ensembles. Hence the sale of these bangles surges during local celebrations such as teej, the marwari festival of gangaur, karva chauth, holi, weddings and special ceremonies for the mothers-to-be. In fact, each celebration can be identified with a distinct style of bangle design. For instance, a wedding in the family calls for the “gulali choodha” or the red colored bangle or the “hare bandon ka choodha”, the green colored bangle. Pink colored bangles are worn exclusively during holi.

HISTORY OF LAC BANGLES

Woman wearing bangles

Lac bangle making is an art, as old as the establishment of Jaipur city. The king of Amer summoned the most initial craftsmen from the Manoharpur district of Uttar Pradesh. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, while planning the city housed the craft in a lane which came to be known as "Maniharon Ka Rasta" after the Manihar craftsmen.

The craft of making lac bangles is traditionally practiced by the Manihars or Lakhera communities. Manihars belong to Muslin community while Lakhera community consists of Hindus.

Lac bangles are preferred by many women in Rajasthan as they are soothing to wear and do not cause any infection or itching as in case of plastic or glass bangles.

Mind Mapping

Mind Mapping of lac bangles.