Reinventing the potter's wheel for Gundiyali

AHMEDABAD: The red earthen pots might be made across Gujarat but Gundiyali, about 8km from Mandvi in Kutch district , is known for its distinctive patterns and making method that employs local clay not needing any mixing for stability.


A team consisting of faculty members Kathan Kothari, Jay Thakkar and Rishav Jain of Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), Cept University have been working with the village for past five years and building capacity for the 80-odd families involved in traditional pottery making.

The project is supported by Manthan Educational Programme Society.

The artisans and eight fellows have put together the exhibition ‘Ektatra: Spinning the Wheel Together’ at Kanoria Centre for Arts which will be inaugurated on Friday.

The exhibition showcases projects focusing on initiating innovation, engaging community participation, integrating technology, envisaging craft tourism, reconfiguring habitat and emphasizing collaboration with the community. The faculty members said that the artisans showed deep interest in exploring potential of the art and how it can be reinvented for newer audiences. The community now has strong social media presence where they even post 3D images of the new designs. The faculty members said that four major points of interaction with the community included design intervention, use of new technology, providing infrastructure and craft experience including a possibility of craft tourism.