Ekti Triti,
Design Cultures ‘26
at Kolkata by RAW Collaborative

The installation recalls the wandering ficus roots on Kolkata’s old facades — slow, persistent presences that quietly inscribe themselves into the city, at times even reshaping the streetscape. Here, the ficus becomes a metaphor for Bengal’s craft cultures — living veins that run through the region, binding and holding it together across time. At its centre rests a sculptural rattan bench crafted by master artisan Nopur Parida from Joynagar. Fluid in line and tactile in presence, the form carries the quiet generosity of Kolkata’s pavement life — an unspoken invitation to pause, sit, and belong. A handwoven jute tapestry by women weavers from the Gorumara region in the Duars stretches across and around it, introducing an earthen softness — a landscape-like texture that feels grown rather than placed. Encircling this core, a bamboo framework shaped in collaboration with Durga Pujo pandal artisans of Girish Park, led by Bidesh Dhara, moves lightly yet assertively through the composition. It binds the elements into a single continuous gesture — structural, celebratory, alive.

Three materials. Three craft lineages across Bengal. Distinct in origin, unified in expression.
What appears organic is deeply intentional — a contemporary articulation of collaboration, continuity, and collective making.