Vadehra Art Gallery is pleased to present Dance of the Weave, an exhibition of American photographer Briana Blasko’s most recent works that capture the movement in textile and the texture of dance. In the words of Dr. Ratna Raman, “Through her photographs Briana tries to put together a narrative involving the story of threads, the rhythms of the loom, the lithe hand movements of the craftsperson, the steps of the dancer, and the movements of the creators of indigo dyes amid the drapes and cling of fabric.”

The photographs are the result of an extensive and long journey that Briana undertook across the length and breadth of India. She visited dance schools and festivals researching various forms of classical, folk and tribal dances. Simultaneously, she visited weaving villages documenting the costumes and textiles used by the dancers and observed how a dancer’s personal connection to the origin of the clothe they use is relative or not to the origin of their dance form. In each photo session Briana explored how a dancer inhabits the textile and plays with fabric through movement. She did not emphasize on the jewelry, make-up, flowers, or any other adornment that is often essential to a dancer’s presence while performing on stage for an audience. By concentrating on the drapes that are used in dance, Briana tries to illustrate how the concept of a draped cloth is still relevant today in India. Her photographs document these relationships and celebrate Indian textiles.

The photographs cover many major traditions of hand-woven textiles – Kanchipuram, Kornad, Kalakshetra, Mangalgiri, Pochampally, Sambalpuri, Maheshwari, Manipuri and Assamese Muga silk – the major practices of dance – Odissi, Kuchipudi, Bharatnatyam, Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Kathak, Manipuri, Sattriya – and the martial art forms – Chhau and Kalaripayattu.

Briana’s fascination for photographing textiles began when she was studying for her BFA in Photography at the Tisch School of Arts, New York University, in 1999. There she would make sculptures with white fabric and red threads and in her words “try to capture the stillness within the fluidity of movement.”