Three Halves

This project was realized during a residency program at Hope University Liverpool U.K.in 2001.

The work is based on 3 artists’ understandings of the history of cotton trade between two countries, textile production and political clashes in colonized India and Britain. Gandhi’s philosophical vision for the handloom/ home industries and Swadeshi movement, stereotypical representation of an Adivasi, a worker, devdasi or a hero’s imagery on the labels for the textile made in Manchester to be sent back to India and a contemporary label of TraidCraft (U.K.’s Fairtrade organization which imports goods from India, Bangladesh and Tanzania with their policy of “people before profit”).

Documented material found in the archives and museums, how ex-mill workers looked at present day globalized economy and recent market trends, how in entire Lancashire area closed down mill buildings have been converted into shopping arcades, hotels, institutions and mill museums providing cultural and historical information and the market trends were some of the concerns we began the project with.

Helmshore Textile Museum, Harris Museum and Art Galleries, Granada Television, U.K. University of Lancashire library Preston were extremely supportive in providing the information and lending material for ‘Three Halves’.

After it was installed at Hope University Foyer Gallery, artists continued their research and collected archival material from two mill and port towns Mumbai and Ahmadabad. before installing it in Sakshi Gallery Mumbai (A ware house converted into a gallery) and Bolton Museum, U.K.

An interview with ex-mill worker Ms. Lewis from Bolton and a film ‘Jari Mari: of cloth and other stories’ by a film maker Surabhi Sharma from Mumbai incorporated in the project provide view of the reality of ex- textile mill workers in modern day Mumbai and mill workers of 1930’s Lancashire who had been affected by the Indian independence movement's boycott of British goods.

‘Three Halves’ consists of 3 video films, audio, Photographs, Xeroxes, text, textile sample books, pockets stitched from hand woven and mill made cloth, researched, collected and borrowed material from the museums, universities, libraries, TV channel, ex mill owners.