Priya Jose Variath - MA/MSc Textiles
Woven Land
Woven Land (Neythu Nilam) is a project about land, people, and craft. In Kerala, the paddy fields are more than beautiful landscapes, they represent resilience, growth, and the cycles of life. This connection between land and livelihood resonates strongly with the weaving community of Chendamangalam, whose tradition has been passed down for generations.
Chendamangalam weavers are most recognised for their Kasavu sarees, finely woven white cotton edged with metallic zari. More than garments, these sarees are cultural symbols of purity, festivity, and belonging. Yet in 2018, devastating floods swept through Kerala, destroying workshops, looms, and materials, leaving many weavers without their livelihoods and severing ties to their heritage. Despite such losses, the weavers returned to their craft with remarkable strength and determination. Their resilience became the heart of my project.
Through Woven Land, I sought not to replicate sarees but to reinterpret the essence of Kasavu for contemporary contexts. Instead of metallic zari, I used locally sourced bio materials such as lavender, heather, grass, hay and coconut coir combined with cotton and jute warps. These elements bring new layers of texture, scent, and memory to the cloth, embedding the land itself into woven form. Each piece, whether a table runner, lampshade, or curtain blind carries traces of both the landscape and the people who shape it.
The accompanying short documentary, Noolkaikal (Threaded hands), captures the weavers in their workshops, offering their voices and rhythms directly. It forms the foundation of the project, grounding the design work in lived experience.
Ultimately, Woven Land is a gesture of solidarity, an attempt to bring Chendamangalam’s story into international design conversations, not by speaking for the weavers but by amplifying their craft as alive, evolving, and deeply relevant today.
