Abstract
Accompanied by Kala, an indigenous cotton from Kutch, India, this study examines the interdependencies of land, material, and maker that are fostered in textile practices. It explores materials as companions in practice, shaping the trajectory of making through their processual entanglements with human and more-than-human environments. The research employs a practice-led methodology integrating historical review of cotton in India, ethnographic inquiry into practices related to Kala in Kutch, and hands-on weaving experiments. The weaving explorations with Kala, seen as a process of correspondence, detail the role of materials in making, where environmental conditions, material properties, and practitioner interactions shape the practice and the final outcomes. Through the story and practices with Kala, the article invites a re-evaluation of material perception as mere resources to be manipulated for human purposes, suggesting instead that materials possess an active capacity to influence human engagement, decision-making, and creative outcomes.
Keywords
Kala cotton; Traditional textile practices; Interdependencies; Land-based practices; Material entanglements; Indian cotton history; Weaving; Materials as companions of practice; Practice-led research
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/nordes.2025.23
Citation
Mohan, M.A.(2025) Journeying with Kala: Exploring Interdependencies of Material, Land, and Maker in Shaping Textile Practices, in Brandt, E., Markussen, T., Berglund, E., Julier, G., Linde, P. (eds.), Nordes 2025: Relational Design, 6-8 August, Oslo, Norway. https://doi.org/10.21606/nordes.2025.23
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Full Papers
Included in
Journeying with Kala: Exploring Interdependencies of Material, Land, and Maker in Shaping Textile Practices
Accompanied by Kala, an indigenous cotton from Kutch, India, this study examines the interdependencies of land, material, and maker that are fostered in textile practices. It explores materials as companions in practice, shaping the trajectory of making through their processual entanglements with human and more-than-human environments. The research employs a practice-led methodology integrating historical review of cotton in India, ethnographic inquiry into practices related to Kala in Kutch, and hands-on weaving experiments. The weaving explorations with Kala, seen as a process of correspondence, detail the role of materials in making, where environmental conditions, material properties, and practitioner interactions shape the practice and the final outcomes. Through the story and practices with Kala, the article invites a re-evaluation of material perception as mere resources to be manipulated for human purposes, suggesting instead that materials possess an active capacity to influence human engagement, decision-making, and creative outcomes.