Trace emerges from the rich continuum of women’s textile traditions, understanding identity as accumulated fragments of experience rather than a singular line. Through the deliberate act of layering — beads upon threads, cotton upon stone — these works trace women’s creative expression across time, creating spaces where ancestral knowledge meets contemporary practice. The works hold layers of memory, bringing together different histories and voices to create a shared sense of identity. The textile surfaces are built through careful beadwork using recycled seed and glass beads with cotton and silk thread. Hand-carved black stone bound with handwoven cotton cord extends this exploration into sculpture, creating a dialogue between permanence and fragility. Through hand embroidery, hand-sculpting, wrapping, and knotting techniques, these diverse materials are transformed into large-scale forms that resist conventional categorization. Using diverse mediums and handcraft techniques, the works examine the relationship between past and present, positioning craft practice as both historically grounded and thoroughly contemporary, respecting inherited traditions while remaining open to transformation through experimentation.

At the heart of this practice lie the foundational values of the Chanakya School of Craft: honouring women’s practices, affirming the power of collective expression, and nurturing the transmission of knowledge across generations. Through deep engagement with diverse textile methodologies, the school extends the possibilities of the medium, advancing new paradigms of material practice while remaining grounded in inherited wisdom.