Interwoven legacy

AHMEDABAD: History beckons as you enter the dilapidated complex of the old Rajnagar mill in Asarwa. One's attention immediately flies to the time clocking machine in frames at the entrance. This clocked the workers' hours inside the mill and had a significant role in a worker's life and earnings. This is the theme around which several artists created installation pieces for the Cotton Exchange project.Weaver Lesley Mitchison's "Fit as much unto your day as you possibly can" message is aptly interwoven with images of the machine in the hanging textiles on display.
The piece which stops you in your tracks is textile designer Lokesh Ghai and patchwork and applique artist Hariyaben Uttamchand Bhanani's 'Return Journey' - a quilt created for the project depicting Gandhi's visit to Lancashire in 1931 and his role in the cotton, khadi and handloom sectors.
The city's heritage overwhelms you as you walk down the dusty, meandering path, soaking in the impressive art amid rusty, redundant machinery.