A call for revival
Walking along the by-lanes of Shivajinagar and KR Market, if you are on the lookout for utensils and kitchenware - you will easily spot storefronts stacked with silver stainless steel pots and pans. It takes quite a few twists and turns to reach the depths of the market where you can hear the rhythmic beat of hammers molding copper sheets and see sparkling grains of copper turning orange in the fire as it gets welded in tiny, poorly-lit rooms.
Born from a hearty collaboration - A set of reimagined kitchen preparation tools have been designed as a serious attempt to bring back copper to its original glory in kitchen spaces, and to look at copper products being capable of adding more than just decor value to spaces. Designed with a playful visual language explored through the layers of different forms and materials in conjunction with copper -these tools are inspired by traditional preparation tools from various parts of the world, these tools make way for meal preparation to be a simpler and engaging experience.
The kitchen prep stackable set
Mixing Bowl Made with heavy gauge copper and hand hammered by artisans, this bowl is perfect for heavy duty kneading and mixing of flour for mid-sized to large batches of food preparations. Copper being a great conductor of heat, also makes this a perfect proofing bowl for breads.
The traditional Indian mixing bowl known as the paraat or kathrot - is what led to the design of this elliptical based bowl. The two wooden spheres on the sides form a grip to ease lifting and transfer contents. The inclined cut on the wall of the bowl is inspired by Japanese soup bowls.
Copper graters have been found from various cultures across the world including - Denmark , India, and Japan. In Japanese cooking, the oroshigane is an indispensable tool that they use till date.
A set of three assembly bowls that are stackable and have a spherical grip can be used for washing, soaking and assembling chopped ingredients. As a part of the final finish for the mixing bowl and the set of three bowls I decided to play around with the hammered patterns made on the outer surface of utensils. Inspired by waves and line art, I chose to leave certain sections incomplete.
What happened to handmade utensils, polished and textured with shades of brown and gold? What happened to the people who would polish utensils at our doorstep? Where have all the makers gone?
The traditional copper utensil makers of KR Market, trained by their fathers and forefathers, have been practicing this craft for the last fifty years. They have witnessed a steady downfall in the demand of their work as well as products. A strenuous process of cutting, bending and hammering copper sheets, and welding them by sitting in front of a crackling flame, yields them around six regular sized pots a day which are sold to the market shops for a meager income used up to make ends meet. All of this, coupled with lack of support from government in regulation of costing of metals (GST 18%, 12% on finished goods) - every artisan family has taken a vow to not pass on this skill to the next generation.
Meet the Artisans
Mujahid Ali has been skillfully crafting copper matkas (a water storage container), traditional buckets and other traditional forms for the last forty years in Goripallya, Bangalore along with his two brothers-in-law. He learnt this craft from his father while growing up in a small town near Mysore, and has been practicing it ever since. He enjoys crafting products that are made from pure copper unlike products available in the market today, which use a mixed composition.
Initiating the collaboration after numerous workshop visits - a slow conversational process followed wherein there was a set form/template in mind that was communicated through a prototype, which evolved based on the techniques employed by them. There was letting go of design elements, transposition of mutually agreed upon elements from the artisan’s end. Ultimately one becomes more appreciative rather than forgiving of “mistakes” made while crafting a “perfect” product.
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