Effective and impactful design solutions come with experiencing and understanding the challenges faced by the community. Building on this ideology, Anant, at the start of the studies, organised a module on community immersion for 460 foundation-year architecture and design students.
Students will visit 12 craft clusters in and around Gujarat and Rajasthan. Also, they will participate in three hands-on workshops organised on campus. These craft clusters are:
Making of folk music instrument, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
Woodcraft and toys, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
Sanganer block-making & block printing, Sanganer, Jaipur
Durry weaving craft, Salawas, Jodhpur
Bamboo, Chinchina, Gavtha and Dungarda Village
Kavad Art, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan
Kutch Cultural Melange, Bhirandiyara, Kutch
Koftgari, Ghantaghar area, Udaipur
Kavad, ektara-making and lippan, Badanga (Near Udaipur) Crafts
Wooden blocks for printing, Pethapur, Gandhinagar
Mata ni Pachedi, Vasana, Ahmedabad
Tangaliya Art, Dedadra
On-campus workshops include Phad painting, Puppetry making and Madhubani painting.
The module helps students work closely with varied craft communities and document their ethnography, craft stories, practices, culture and identity. The modules are designed for students to harness the knowledge of traditional practices and integrate them with cutting-edge technology to produce unique yet sustainable design solutions.