Garland magazine

Object-tellers from our current issue came together to reflect on their stories and consider some of the issues that they evoke, particularly about the Indian craft of love. The speakers were: Shirley Bhatnagar and Ishan Khosla Eina Ahluwalia Aarti Kawlra Manasee Jog Mitraja Bais Varuni Kanagasundaram This fascinating discussion brought together voices from Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and “Mumbai...

We go to Kochi, the ancient port city in the southern tip of India, to visit its most renowned historian, Bony Thomas, who features in our current issue Uphaar with an article about the history of the Jewish populations in the city and its touching presence today with the young Muslim man, Taha Ibrahim, who continues the tradition of Jewish embroidery taught him by his adopted mother, Sarah Cohen....

Craft travel packages are booming. As well as companies offering specialist tours of craft centres, many practitioners are sharing their local knowledge and contacts with specialist travel packages. Such tours can have many benefits. For the participants, they help deepen their appreciation of the crafts through the immersive experience of place. As has been the case with pilgrimages in the past,...

Genevieve Weber follows up her article Gratitude in the Archives with an account of how she became an archivist and the role that "radical empathy" plays in her custodianship of historical Canadian documents. We learn about the history of Residency Schools and the resulting Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 

We talk with Aarti Kawlra, author of We Who Wove the Lotus Thread , about her intellectual journey in the crafts and the development of a pan-Asian sensibility. Kawlra reflects on the nature of caste in India as a social construction. She also talks about the "kimono body" and how textiles in Asia are objects in themselves rather than body accessories as in the West. Finally, she reflects on...

Rosie Cook reflects on the story behind her article Lessons learned from a duck herder’s gamelan . She recounts her journey to become a conservator and how this was radically changed by her encounter will villagers in Wonosobo, Indonesia. Her story also reveals a surprising capacity of Instagram. 

22 June 2019, National Gallery of Victoria This panel was an opportunity to learn from those who are engaged with China as artists or curators. What are the challenges in connecting with audiences in mainland China? What opportunities make the effort worthwhile? How can we maintain contact with the Chinese scene from Australia? Speakers include: Yiwei Wu – Founder of Yiwei Art Foundation and SanW...

Conversation between dragons Saturday 22 June 2019 This panel explores the creative substance of a dialogue with China. As a nation that seeks to revive its traditional culture, how does this parallel the trajectory of nations around the Pacific Rim? We learn from the dragons not only in China but also in Mexico, Australia and India. Do they still have a place in our lives? Does their relation to...

We chat with Brian Parkes, CEO of Adelaide's Jam Factory Craft & Design Centre, about an ambitious series of touring exhibitions that have helped define Australian craft and design in the 21st century.