“ek karkhana nariyal ke jhaad ke paas” (one workshop near a coconut tree) is the address of this workshop inhabited by three young designers and their team of karigars (artisans) inspired by Travel, Movies, Art, Indian crafts and textiles, people from various walks of life and their inspiring stories. Each honing on their individual design strengths, these friends cum colleagues work together towards a passion they all equally share.
As much as an old school like me is now coming to think of social media as more of a waste of valuable time than a boon really, it manages to prove me wrong each time i come across some eye catching works of art like these. It's made getting in touch with like minded people and to explore endless possibilities of collaboration or otherwise so easy! Just as one of my fellow bloggers - Kavita of Indian by Design puts it so aptly "Social networking has created opportunities for creative businesses to get in touch with their audience more intimately and immediately than ever before. It has also created a surfeit of businesses of varying quality. But many do shine through."
Ek Karkhana is one such facebook discoveries i made a few days ago. Their work i feel is so stylistically simple and contemporary that your eyes cannot escape but without giving a second glance. The colorful medley and use of simple patterns is a reflection of the rich Indian culture that inspires their work strongly. Yet it's so appropriately intervened with a strong sense of modern design that unlike many Indian craft styles, it looks nothing close to chaotic, overdone or overwhelming. It's simple, light, fun and very creative! Fishes, Peacocks, Parrots, Lotuses, Beetle Leaves - are all commonly used motifs that primarily dominate Indian craft styles, but few have i come across that have been used so modestly and beautifully!
Do browse through their products below or here and tell us - isn't their work quite a visual treat?
