Flourish Hearth 2nd Edition, we came together in a moment of unity, leaving behind handprints as a symbol of co-creation and collaboration. Moving away from conventional lamp lighting, artisans, makers, and consumers joined hands—literally—to inaugurate in a way that reflects Flourish’s belief in a sustainable future through collective effort and artisanal empowerment. The welcome was warm, the smiles genuine, and the setting vibrant. There was a buzz in the air. And there was food! Most importantly, there was an electronic collection of art and craft from across the country. ‘Flourish Hearth’ was a pop-up event with a difference—artisinal craft for the conscious consumer. And it resonated as well as it educated. The entire shenanigan took place at the Shankara Foundation, Bengaluru.
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As we sat there in the evening listening to some good live Sufi music, the ambience was connecting perfectly with the arrangements of stalls and everything else surrounding it.
Artisinal Craftsmanship At Flourish
The exhibit was more than just a showcase of crafts! The effort was to portray a successful way of shifting towards a sustainable way of living by using such crafts. Be it handbags, clothes, decorative items, accessories and so much more. Everything portrayed there had a cultural awareness and representation.
Top Picks At The Exhibit:
Pattachitra Handicrafts And Lanterns:
A very famous and traditional Indian Art form was seen at the Flourish exhibit, which is very well known in the areas of West Bengal and Odisha. It depicts folk tales and magnificent hand-made art on cloth pieces, but here the art form was revived and shown to people in many forms: lamp shades, wall hangings and so much more.
Jewellery Exhibit:
There were varieties of jewellery placed at the exhibit and if you are a jewellery fan, you will be having a very tough time in picking out selectively. Every piece and style was fantastic, traditional and fashionable too. Terracotta jewellery, beaded jewellery, metal jewellery, handcrafted pendants, and what not!
Banana Fibre Crafts With Natural Dye
There was a a huge display for the crafts and daily use articles made with banana fibre and the dyes used were all natural dyes. Nothing beats the fact that it was sustainable, eco-friendly, and definitely stylish!
Kalamkari Stationary And Crafts
I think the most amazing finding were the pens that were wrapped pretty well in kalamkari fabrics and styling and making them really unique. Why not have those on your desk or your table in the living room. And along with that there were boxes made out straw and other renewable sources and those were beautifully wrapped with handmade kalamkari art work.
Leather Craft Items
There is no exhibit that has nothing related to leather and if you are a person who wants a collection of unique leather products then this is the place where you can have them.
Beaded Bangles:
Beaded bangles have always always been in-style and these handcrafted ones were just stunning!
Hand-woven Key Chains And Plush Toys
Adorable key chains were displayed and every key chain was one of a kind. Beautiful designs and must haves for every person! And yes, there were handwoven plush toys as well—the most adorable exhibit corner.
Other Exhibits At Flourish
Grass Trays and Boxes
Bamboo has always been a striking choice for many things for your daily households and upholstery. Nothing beats the authenticity of the bamboo trays, boxes, and so much more.
Hand Decorated Clips
These clips were nothing less than pretty, if these don’t get your attention then probably nothing will!
Wooden Craft Items:
There were many more things and the wooden craft items were definitely something to look for.
Flourish Hearth, 2nd Edition:
From pottery to pen, Kalamkari to the Indian adaptation of Shibori fabric to tatting and making masks from tamarind and sawdust, the range of crafts and skills on display was simply mind-blowing. There were workshops too where one could make their own creations. Time flew as we got immersed in conversations delving into details of various crafts. Amazingly awesome as they were, the poignancy in some cases was unmistakable—imagine there being just two families in India that are keeping an art form alive!
