Come and rekindle your interest in our craft heritage
Sri Lanka was globally reputed for its craft industry and in the recent past great effort has gone into supporting the traditional craftsmen and making their products appealing to contemporary lifestyles. ‘Shilpa 2013”, the National Crafts Festival presented by the National Craft Council under the Ministry of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprises Development from August 15 to 18 at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Hall of the BMICH, aims to bring this renaissance in the craft industry to the public eye.
Shilpa will be opened on August 15 at 4 p.m. Announcing the event, Chairman of the National Crafts Council, Buddhi Keerthisena stated that unlike previous exhibitions held by the National Crafts Council, Shilpa- 2013 will be both distinctive and geared to the current market demand.
The theme of this year’s exhibition is “Celebrating Sri Lanka’s Handicraft Heritage”. The products of over 1500 artisans from all parts of the island will be on show. Specific and traditional techniques, tools and indigenous raw materials will be showcased with special emphasis on the intricacy of the craft. Compared to mass produced items, these delicate creations are valuable not only because they are hand-crafted but also because of the care and enthusiasm whittled into each piece by the keen artisans.
“If you look around you will find, that almost everything in our culture has a close relation with crafts. For example drums used in peraharas and the masks used at different festivals are also crafts though we fail to acknowledge them distinctly by the term crafts,” said Mr. Keerthisena.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, Senaka De Silva who has been in the textile and design profession for 30 years said, “We have encouraged these craftsmen to develop traditional crafts with a contemporary touch with the gift and souvenir market in mind. Our aim is to also see them cater to the needs of the interior design market.”
Exhibitions such as Shilpa organised by the National Crafts Council also seek to identify the talented craftsmen and artisans in rural Sri Lanka and to train and guide them to reach international standards.
Pix by Amila Gamage and Indika Handuwala
To achieve the above objectives effectively, exhibitions at provincial and national level were conducted and awards presented to the craftsmen who were successful at these competitions. The award-winning crafts from all nine provinces of the country will be displayed at the National Crafts Exhibition.
The winners of the “Visithru” exhibition of 2011 and 2012 will also join the exhibition and the trade fair with their new products as part of the Design Development Programme. Veteran designers such as Senaka De Silva, Bharatha Kumara and Channa Perera have guided the artisans to rethink and innovate.
Parallel to the National Crafts Festival and Trade Fair there will also be an art exhibition by students organised by the Ministry of Education to express what they feel about Sri Lanka’s craft heritage.
The entrance fee for the exhibition is a nominal Rs. 20 while for schoolchildren it will be free of charge. The National Crafts Council extends an open invitation to the public, students and amateur artisans to come and see the work on display and learn anew the amazing craft heritage we are heir to.
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