Tana Bana: Wisdom of the Loom Screener

Screener for Tana Bana: Wisdom of the Loom distributed by Contemporary Arts Media http://www.artfilms.com.au There is a village just outside Calcutta, India, where every fam­ily has a hand loom. As you pass the houses, the air is pierced by the clackclackclack of flying shuttles. In the family courtyards, threads are starched, warps are prepared, and bolts of finished cloth are evaluated with discern­ing eyes. In an age when cloth manufacture is dominated by computer-driven industrial mills, what are the virtues of hand weaving? What is the magic of the hand-loomed cloth? This is our third documentary on craft. Here you will find works of great beauty and skill, ingenious variations, and delicate figures. Shot in rural locations in Africa, Laos, Indonesia, India, and Pakistan, this documen­tary will explore the world of looms, weaves, and artisans. Born from a need to document the evanescent world of craft the film is part of a 4 film series of compelling and insightful documentaries. Working mainly with India, but also with several other areas, the films document the production of embroidered, block printed, hand-woven, and naturally dyed textiles. Focusing on areas where excellence is still the tradition, these documentaries are deeply concerned with the viability of craft and the lives of the artisans. Product page: http://artfilms.com.au/Detail.aspx?catalogueNo=3042

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YouTube | November 11, 2008

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