Khadi with Bharti Parmar

A multi-media installation from recycled Tshirts about cotton, Gandhi and colonialism in the year marking
the 90th anniversary of Gandhi’s historic visit to Darwen.

By artist Bharti Parmar.
Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery commissioned by British Textile Biennial
1st October – 18th December 2021.

Bharti hired me as a rsearch assistant and studio assistant. As part of my role I drew this anthropological drawing of a woman at a spinning wheel. The work was titled Hindoo woman spinning. This drawing comissioned by Bharti, was later shown at Crafts Council as part of show titled Cotton: labour, land and body (2022). It was then gifted back to me and now resides in my own private collection. The final drawing was made using crayon on a risograph print of my original drawing.


Image by Ben J Deakin

As part of the research role I also carried out research into paper and printing use Khadi, and thermographic press techniques with Holodeck in Birmingham. The mock notebook inspired by a notebook that Gandhi would carry was featured in a vitrine of objects and ephemera during Bharti’s installation as part of the British Textiles Biennial 2021.


Images by Ben J deakin - Crafts Council


Images of Khadi at Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery as part of the British Textile Biennial 2021.
Find out more here for Khadi and here for Cotton: labour, land and body.