The desertwomen's quilts from Kutch

An exhibition showing 28 handmade quilts of cast-off garments from the desert villages of Kutch and 45 cyanotype portraits of the Kutchi desert women, contactprinted on handcoated full-size cotton fiberpaper from negative size 13 x 18". Kutch is the westernmost part of India situated in the state of Gujarat. My first visit to this fascinating country is more than fifteen years back. I was instantly carried away by the friendly and disarming Kutchi hospitality and their way of living. I had before me a unique place offering something hardly to be found in the Western world.

The idea of this particular story came to me in the winter of 1999 when I started to experiment with the old and time consuming photographic processes like cyanotype and palladium printing. As the images of the desert women began to develop with a rare presence on the heavy wet fiber paper I realized I had the key to a story about proud women and beautiful quilts. A story where quilts and photographs go hand in hand time-wise and texture-wise putting emphasis on recycling and slowness. The quilts provide a shining example of the desert women's artistic capabilities whilst at the same time bringing to light the traditional crafts like block-printing and tie-dying.

The story is made of love and respect, dedicated to my friends in Kutch always present with a genuine hospitality and a rare warmth completely unaware of the future awaiting them. Kutch was hit by a devastating earthquake on January 26, 2001.

The exhibition was shown first time in Copenhagen August 2000. In 2001 at the Filosofgangen in Odense and in 2002 at the Textileforum in Herning. In 2004 at the Round Tower, Copenhagen (slide-show). In the spring of 2006 the exhibition was set up at the Röhss Museum for Applied Art & Design in Gothenburg, Sweden. Presscuttings from Göteborg Posten and the periodical 'Hemslojden'. Photographic essay published in 2004. For further information regarding exhibition and lecture please mail me.