Images from the Jhoole Photography Project
The Jhoole Photography Project
Originally Jhoole’s founder, Hannah Warren, went to Maheshwar in order to pursue a photography project funded by the Royal Society of Asian Affairs’ Sir Peter Holmes Memorial Award. Here is her story in her own words:
"My idea was to create portraits of weavers' lives and livelihoods by photographing them wearing saris they had woven themselves. The finished images are created by layering transparent and opaque surfaces and inlaying fabric in order to create a subtle 3-D effect.
When I actually got to Maheshwar, I was surprised to find that none of the weavers could even afford to own the exquisite saris that they weave; instead, middlemen provide them with expensive raw materials that they transform into breathtaking saris in return for minimal wages.
Instead of abandoning the project I gave the weavers funds to purchase their own materials in order to weave saris for themselves. This was the first time they were given the opportunity to take creative control of their products by personally choosing colors and designs. When they put on the very first saris they had ever designed for themselves, I was blown away: they looked so beautiful and proud.
I felt unable to finish the photography project and forget about the talented women I had met... instead, I found myself helping them further through a fair trade initiative. I began small by assisting the four weavers I had photographed in producing scarves to sell at fair trade stores. Before we knew it our orders grew: we have received so many orders that we can employ over a hundred women."
Hannah’s potent images have participated in building and supporting the Jhoole Weaver’s Cooperative. In this sense, the images shrink space, connecting distant realities to one another and affecting change in parallel domains. The images help sell the weavers’ textiles because fair trade is not only about the product, but also about the palpable hope that purchases will somehow help “empower” “transform” and “uplift” distant producers. These loaded words can be haunting as Jhoole strives to make them tangible. This exhibition is meant to bring advocates of fair trade closer to producers. The images depict a traditional craft through a modern lens, while invoking hope in and arousing discussion around the power of social enterprise as a tool for eradicating poverty.
The Jhoole Photography Project is currently being exhibited at Womanspace gallery 3. The Exhibit has previously been displayed at The Royal Asiatic Society and the Royal Society for Asian Affairs in London.
Are you interested in hosting the Jhoole Photography Project at your venue, gallery or fair trade store? For details, please contact us at info@jhoole.org
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