Tana Bana: Wisdom of the Loom - Documentary

There is a village just outside Calcutta, India, where every family has a hand loom. As you pass the houses, the air is pierced by the “clack–clack–clack” of flying shuttles. In the family courtyards, threads are starched, warps are prepared, and bolts of finished cloth are evaluated with discerning eyes. In an age when cloth manufacture is dominated by computer-driven industrial mills, what are the virtues of hand weaving? What is the magic of the hand-loomed cloth?

Another feature-length documentary film on craft. Here you will find works of great beauty and skill, ingenious variations, and delicate figures. Shot in rural locations in Africa, Laos, Indonesia, India, and Pakistan, this documentary will explore the world of looms, weaves, and artisans.

Written by Charllotte Kwon and Tim McLaughlin
Directed by Charllotte Kwon

This documentary has been digitally enhanced from its original format to improve image clarity and resolution.

💌 Sign up to receive beautiful emails that celebrate artisan work, slow clothes and natural dyes - https://mailchi.mp/maiwa/subscribe


🍿 WATCH NEXT:
1.    • In Search of Lost Colour - Documentary  
2.    • Indigo: A World of Blue - Documentary  
3.    • Exploring Natural Fibre Types  


MORE PLACES TO FIND US:
🌞Our website & shop - https://maiwa.com/
💃🏽Maiwa’s Slow Clothes - https://maiwa.com/collections/all-clo...
🌿Natural Dye & Textile Workshops - https://maiwa.teachable.com/
🧶Natural Dye Tips & Recipes - https://naturaldyes.ca/
📸 Instagram:
Maiwa -   / maiwahandprints  
Maiwa School of Textiles -   / maiwaschooloftextiles  
Maiwa Natural Dyes -   / maiwa_naturaldyes  


WHO ARE WE?
We are natural dyers, textile lovers, travellers, teachers & designers 🌿 A family business for over 35 years: Natural Dyes, Slow Clothes, Artisan Goods, Organic Bedding, Handwoven Textiles, Online Natural Dye Workshops, and more…


⌚️Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:44 - Intro to handweaving
04:59 - Handloom versus industrial mills
07:12 - Strip weaving in West Africa - John Gillow
10:19 - Mud Cloths from Mali - John Gillow
11:58 - Weaving in Sumba, Indonesia
16:20 - Nagaland, India
21:19 - Michelle Wipplinger
21:55 - Laos
26:56 - Pakistan
30:13 - Andhra Pradesh, India
38:08 - Orissa, India
42:32 - Gujarat, India
45:20 - Bengal, India - Bappaditya Biwas and Charllotte Kwon