Themes / Families of saris /
Who made it happen? / Lectures
Presiding:
Siva half-male, half-female (Ardhanarishvara)
Note that His left side (the Goddess), wears a long
dhoti, whereas His right (Siva) has a short drape.
Of all the arts that have flourished
in India, draping cloth to dress the body is the most unique,
yet the least studied, cultural treasure. It is also an ephemeral
art -- as soon as a woman's sari or a man's dhoti is taken off,
the particular style in which it encircled the body is lost, and
the garment reverts to its flat rectangular form. If a particular
style of draping becomes and remains un-fashionable until all
its wearers have died, the artistry of that style is permanently
lost.
Draped garments have been worn
in the Indian subcontinent from early civilizations to the present
day. Over the centuries they have undergone innumerable fashion
transformations. Many of the styles in which Indian women today
drape their saris were developed in the 19th century under colonialism,
when drapes were most numerous and indicative of caste.
During the 20th century, a large
proportion of Indian men have begun wearing cut and sewn garments,
in either Indian or European-influenced styles. In contrast, the
larger proportion of Indian women wear draped garments, with the
addition of cut and sewn blouses and petticoats. The style of
draping saris has continued to change as women adopt regional
styles or the national Nivi "Modern" sari, while giving
up caste-specific or local styles.
Cases display ancient statuettes or Indian dolls.
On the walls you can see hanging saris, paintings, photographs,
and other documents related to saris.
You are greeted by a Bengali sari draped on
a body form. A note says "touch me".
Some of these styles of draping are very complex.
Can you figure out how the sari on this "Touch & See"mannequin
is draped?
Each of us, in our own culture,
is accustomed to "reading" information about people
from their dress. We can recognize social, cultural, or religious
differences through dress.
In American society, can you tell
the difference between the professor and student, doctor and nurse,
bride and minister, by their dress?
Now, can you tell which one of
these draping styles is worn by a flower vendor, a married woman,
laundress, or person from the eastern part of India?
In India both the sari textile
and sari drape give clues to the identity of the wearer. They
can reveal such information as the caste, marital status, religion,
occupation or regional origin of the wearer. The social and historical
meanings of draping often lie in hidden, minute details.
Because many Indian saris are worn
in specific regions, knowledge of the states of India is helpful
when learning about the drapes.
Hanging: (left), an ikat tribal sari from Orissa and
(right) a sari from Bengal
"The
Indian sari: Draping Bodies, Revealing Lives": at the
Goldstein Gallery, St. Paul, Minnesota, Jan-March 1998