As Light as Gold

The exhibits on display tell the story of zari across centuries

Gold is in the DNA of every Indian, and possibly the sixth element in nature that affects our lives. But when gold appears like trembling dew, and its flow evokes the memory of pearls, it is no longer a metal. It speaks of stories woven along the ghats of Varanasi, and the sea routes of a trading nation.

‘Gold: the art of zari’, an exhibition presented by Kolkata-based Swati Agarwal and Sunaina Jalan at Bikaner House, Delhi, and curated by textile designer Mayank Mansingh Kaul, references the poetry and purpose of the metallic thread that quite literally binds the world. Inspired from zar, the Persian word for gold, zari fashioned the brocades of Renaissance Europe, Persian velvets, kimonos of Japan and Mughal turbans. The show celebrates the sophisticated technique of zari weaving, seen through vintage textiles from private collections to the contemporary interpretations of the label Swati & Sunaina.

“Swati & Sunaina use 98.5 silver, that’s 24 carat gold, from the only source in the world that makes pure zari. Through their designs they evoke moods of opulence, poetry and sobriety,” says Kaul. He points to the exhibit called ‘Shabnam’ that captures the translucence of dew. Its fine silk with the purity of zari lifts the gossamer sari, giving it a feather-light effect. In contrast, another exhibit references the flower motifs of the Mughal courts in its minakari expression of jewellery, where the gold is off-set against a coloured background.

This movement from gold as textile to metal shows up also in the rang-kaat. Literally meaning ‘cut colour’ it is a technique that uses several colours as a base fabric. Gold or silver threads are used in imaginative ways to hold the strips of colours together. “It’s intense work. A weaver can do no more than 2 mm a day in this technique. We have adapted motifs of chevron, clouds, and waves in this segment, where within a curlicue design, you will notice the feathers of a peacock,” says Jalan. The zari becomes the muscle, holding the different colour weaves together.

Another Benares classic brings in the European influence. “Benares weavers travelled to Europe at the turn of the 19th century and returned with wallpapers. In their designs, one can see the art nouveau touch of bouquets and flowers combined with peacock motifs,” he says. In a contemporary design by Swati and Sunaina called ‘Litchi Buta’, the fruit is exalted to a decoration through the minakari-style technique. The litchi, which is said to have arrived in India from China, takes on a playful scheme.

The exhibits are showcased against a black background with dim lighting to justify the fluidity of gold on textiles. “The purer the zari, the lighter and softer it is,” says Jalan, as we meander through the maze-like panels. For the label, reviving these ancient techniques and ideas came after long days of research, meandering through the dusty lanes of the ghat city. “We are not trained designers. We went in search of well-crafted textiles from Benares, which were once a must in every bride’s trousseau. Not many weavers want to pursue these crafts,” says Agarwal. Lack of organised systems and dyeing units could be the culprit, they say.

“Most often, zari is the end of a conversation. But we wanted to begin with it, to show how it is not only surface embellishing, but there are layers to its intricate functionality,” says Kaul.