At Tvam, the art studio at RA Puram where Lakshmi Srinath works on her art, textile and jewellery designing, there is an interplay of light and darkness. The floor, made of black natural stones is juxtaposed with wide windows that bring in plenty of sunlight, reflected in the hues of all that is on display.
Lakshmi has created nine different saris, each with a distinct colour scheme. “The theme for these creations was inspired by Navaratri, and I chose nine goddesses from ancient Vedic and folk traditions. Each of these goddesses is associated with positive energy, and a weapon. These distinct qualities are reflected in the saris I have created,” says Lakshmi. She hopes that it tells a powerful spiritual story.
Lakshmi has collaborated with Aishwarya Manivannan, an artist, designer, educationist, and silambam artiste for this project. “Martial arts and textile art coming together is unique, and this project brought out the various facets of these art forms. It was an opportunity to understand our traditions and history,” says Aishwarya. “As an artiste and designer, I respect Lakshmi’s style and techniques used.”
The designer has used Chanderi fabric for the saris. The colour she has chosen to represent Kowmari, a popular folk deity, is a resplendent yellow. Her weapon is a spear. For Masani Amman who is represented by fire, the theme is a torch of fire and the colour dedicated to her is vermillion red.
“Interestingly, for Andal, also known as Kothai, we normally associate parrots and lotus, but her weapon is a mace. I have used all of these motifs in the sari inspired by her, and the colour I chose is a parrot green,” she says.
Lakshmi was inspired by goddesses Kamakshi, Lakshmi, Andal, Chamundi, Masani, Kowmari, Ayyanar Devi, Saraswathi and Durga. They are aesthetically presented through colours, motifs and themes, says Lakshmi.
Tvam is at 1st Main Road, RA Puram. They can be reached at tvam_artanddesignstudio on Instagram.
