BRICOLAGE AS A METHOD

Bricolage is the skill of using whatever is at hand and recombining them to create something new. It is the construction or creation of a work from a diverse range of things that happen to be at hand.

In order to understand the methods of working of a Bricoleur, various works were referenced by looking at the aesthetics, mechanics, politics and spatiality of bricoleur’s practices along with the biography of the bricoleurs through examples in Art and architecture. Thus building a Bricolage diary to store all the references I come across during the process of working as a bricoleur myself. This diary starts becoming a companion through the form of references to my practice.

MY PRACTICE OF STITCHING AND QUILT MAKING

The industrial revolution brought with it the idea of mass production. Installation of assembly lines on a large scale facilitated this production. This system redefined the buyer-seller relationship. However, this relationship had a very shallow ties since the buyer was never aware of the seller and vice versa and these sellers became mere agents in the transaction.

The clothing industry today, has taken a very big hike with only big brands controlling the production lines. This hijack doesn't simply stop here but also controls our ways of living and clothing through commercials in favor of the brand. These all have brought in the idea of use and throw wherein worn out clothes are expected to be thrown away and new ones are to be brought.

In earlier times, the buyer had a direct relationship with the seller who was also the maker of the product which built a social relationship amongst the two. Thus, friends were made through the act of buying and selling. Back then, one needed to visit a tailor to get clothes stitched which already developed a relation of knowing each other. Since the making of the garment included both the buyer and the maker, this added a layer of meaning to the act of making. Thus, clothes held together complex set of relations.

When these clothes would tear or were worn out at certain ends, they would usually be mended or the scarps were converted into quilts. Converting the scraps into a quilt not only gave the garment a new way of seeing it but also held together the older relationships the garment held with the person. These days Scraps of clothes are often considered as waste and are thrown away.

My grandfather was a 'Pattern Master' in the clothing industry, whose health suddenly started to deteriorate in his 40s which forced him to spend more time resting at home. With all the tailoring equipment available at home, this energetic self of his started to make quilts, bags, curtains, etc. out of the scraps of clothes at hand thereby continuing his passion for designing new things.

My practice as a Bricoleur thus works towards taking the idea and method of quilt making a step ahead by adding different volumes to these quilts and creating exquisite corpses which closely hold the associations of the Bricoleurs I come across in the city. These Bricoleurs also contribute to the process of quilt making in their own interesting ways of intervening. This not only helps me develop new social relationships in the city but also allows these various Bricoleurs to be a part of my practice.

Going on derives through the city as Bricoleur, helps in identifying other bricoleurs and their practices. Documenting their practices, forms of inhabitation in the bricoleur diary.

Associations of Grandfather (Appa)

Threads

Collage of Scraps of cloth (Tactile experience reminds stories)

The corner (Comfort spot of the mattress)

These ideas give rise to the 'Portrait of the Grandfather' an exquisite corpse that holds the memories of the Grandfather and also sits as an image of power. The corpse appears to be a chair with an elaborate backrest and a quilt over it portraying the associations that the Grandfather held

The trope of the body is seen here as has the capacity to hold specific associations which lead to the creation of the portrait i.e. the body itself becoming the space