Weaving Waters: Tale of Golden Grandeur

Concept

This photo essay explores the emerging craft of lotus silk weaving in Manipur — a delicate and meditative process where artisans transform fragile lotus stems from local wetlands into extraordinary fiber. Rooted in both spiritual practice and ecological wisdom, this tradition offers a quiet counterpoint to fast fashion and industrial production.
The photographs will follow the artisans’ daily rhythm, from harvesting from lakes to the slow, mindful act of spinning and weaving, revealing a world where patience, ritual, and nature intertwine.

I will try to explore and document the harvesters wading through lake waters, cutting lotus stems amid mist. Intimate macro images of fiber extraction, showing the translucence and fragility of the silk threads. Environmental portraits of women artisans in their homes and workshops. Textural studies of fabrics, looms, and hands at work. Juxtapositions of ecological beauty and the vulnerability of the landscape due to pollution and shrinking wetlands. Moments of reflection showing intergenerational
knowledge transfer and the emotion behind slow, sacred craft.

The interdependence of ecology and culture in Manipur Female artisanship and community resilience sacred materiality — turning a spiritual plant into wearable meditation Sustainability as lived philosophy, not luxury Climate and water ecology
shaping heritage economies.

The project aims to celebrate Manipur’s lotus silk as both a visual and philosophical narrative — a metaphor for harmony between human creativity and nature’s rhythm.