I am very happy today. Content. I have help with my project, and not only that, I am liking it a lot.

The working title is WITHOUT STITCHES, Many people in India wear clothing that is kept in place not by buttons or zippers, but by folds. It can be underwear (langot), skirt (lungi), pants (dhoti) or dress (sari). It turns out tradition has it that fabric that has been punctured (or knotted?) is impure, thus these swaths of fabric are tucked into place in a manner so that they stay on. This also explains the intricate patterns woven into the fabric, rather than the use of embroidery for embellishment.

That these garments do not unravel is astonishing to me as just wrapping a towel around my body and rolling the top part over, which seems should work just fine, renders me naked in no time. People wearing these garments work in them, like sweeping streets or cooking or shopping or whatever and they don’t lose them. How is this?

When I asked a couple of people about it they made hand motions that looked a lot like dance to me…hence this project was born: The Dance of No Stitches.

I have purchased some muslin to create my back drop and two banners which will be stretched laterally with a space between top and bottom to reveal only torsos. This way faces will not be seen, and models do not have to worry. And, with full assistance from Chandu and Hari, we have located poles to rent (VERY PRICEY) that will be the structure from which the fabric is suspended. So the scene is set. Now Chandu and Hari will proceed to find my subjects. These hopefully will be real people, with a mix of body shapes and ages.

I think we start on Wednesday, with installation of the set on Tuesday, and a trial shoot.  My only sadness is that I do not have my Hassey with me.  This should be a film based project, but digital will have to suffice.