Slow TV, Block Printing

We are inviting our subscribers and World Fair ticket holders to our upcoming Slow TV event on 30 October 2021. During the Slow TV experience, you will enjoy the day-to-day activities of Studio Bagru, a hand block printing studio in Jaipur, India, where block printing can be traced back nearly 400 years. 

India is believed to have been block printing since the Indus Valley Civilisation, trading block printed textiles since the 12th century and becoming renowned for their excellence in printed cotton. Bagru hand block printed textiles depend critically on the skilled craftsmanship of the wooden hand block carvers. Traditionally, training for the art of block carving begins at a very young age (some claim to have started at the age of ten) and a young apprentice may take five to six years to master the skill.

The traditional process of bleaching the fabric, dyeing, resisting and block printing has remained relatively unchanged. The print designs consist of florals, geometrical shapes, animal and bird patterns, printed in combinations of natural dyed colours. Blues from indigo, greens from indigo mixed with pomegranate, black from iron, red from madder root and yellow from turmeric. Originally only consumed by the local population of Bagru, printed textiles were restricted to be used on the basis of its printed motifs and colour by specific caste and communities like the gujjars, minas, chhippas which acted as visual representations of people in the region. Today, its popularity among all ages and communities, both in India and abroad, is unrivalled by many other forms of printed textiles.

Join us to see the step by step process of hand block printing and the day to day activities of Studio Bagru, a hand block printing studio based in Bagru. As a Slow TV experience, expect a slower pace of documenting hand block printing that takes the whole day, following each step and all the moments in between. Hosting this year's Slow TV is Studio Bagru, an independent studio whose mission is to foster grassroots entrepreneurial and design innovation. Their vision is to educate consumers about sustainable and ethical textiles and fashion through co-design workshops, collaborations, and popups, as well as creating beautiful hand block printed textiles. Learn more at @studiobagru

Watch Slow TV from Bagru, India until 03:00 GMT on Sunday 7 November 2021.
Note: the screen can be enlarged at the bottom right of the window