Carve Out: An Indo-European Woodcraft Collaboration

As part of our cultural exchange and collaboration initiatives, three European Woodcraft artists participated in collaborative workshop on Wood Carving with a four Master Class traditional Wooden Mask Makers of Kushmandi at Mahishbathan in South Dinajpur between March 17 and 19, 2017. Another workshop — this one with teenagers and youths — and an exhibition followed in Kolkata on March 21 and 22. The project was titled ‘Carve Out’. It was organized in association with British Council Kolkata and Norwegian Crafts Institute.

The visitors were Eivind Falk of Norway, Director of Norwegian Crafts Institute, Robin Wood, internationally recognized traditional British woodworker, and JoJo Wood, Robin’s daughter and a second generation Green Wood worker from the UK. The Kushmandi artists in the ‘Master Class with a Difference’ were Shankar Das, Tulu Sarkar, Nandi Sarkar and Dipak Sarkar.

Green Woodcraft is a special form of carpentry where artists work on unseasoned or ‘green’ timber. Green Wood being softer than seasoned timber is easier to shape with hand tools.

Incidentally, Eivind had earlier visited Kushmandi as part of an international consultation organized by UNESCO for the Rural Craft Hubs (RCH) project of West Bengal Government. Eivind was highly impressed with the Wooden Masks during that visit. The experience generated ideas of future collaborations between the Master Class artists of Kushmandi and woodwork artists of Europe. The plans took a concrete shape after Eivind met Shankar Das in London when Shankar went to participate in the London Craft Week 2016.

At the workshop, Eivind taught how to make wooden spatula, fruit knife and butter knife, Robin showed the art of making wooden bowls, and Jojo taught how to carve up wooden spoons with smooth surface and edges. Shankar, Tulu, Nandi and Dipak taught the guests the art of making the Wooden Masks used in Gomira folk dance. It was a creative, two-way learning process and an enriching exchange of heritage and artistic skills.

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