fz;jpl;lk; (Kanthittam)
and more complex ways from other cognitive beings. To this day, new tools
and technologies mark cultural shifts, usher in new eras and mark the different stages of our history.
South Asian cultures have a common understanding of जुगाड़ (Jugaad), the ethos of making do. Jugaad, in my practice, is
the essence of questioning the way things are done, and trying to devise new ways of doing.
Women in my family have been cooking for decades. They don’t have recipes written down, because they don’t even use standard measurements most of the time. கண்திட்டம் (Kanthittam), or eyeballing, is seen as the mark of a true craftsperson. Proficiency with craft and consciousness of one’s tools are both necessary for good, inventive design.
My thesis is a codification of my design methodology and ethos. It is a natural progression of the years of making that have shaped my practice.
When given a pen, why are we only taught to write with it? What else can it be, other than a mark-making tool?