Words by Material Archives Team
Field Notes from India
In the forests of Chhattisgarh, the Dhokra damar tribes practice a craft that dates back to Mohenjo-daro. The lost-wax technique (cire perdue) is a process of destruction to create creation. The wax model is lost forever, melted away to make space for the molten brass.
"There is no mass production here. Every object is unique because the mold must be broken to reveal the art."
The resulting objects—slender horses, deities, measuring bowls—possess a primitive elegance. They are wiry, textured, and imperfect. The surface retains the impression of the wax threads used to build the model. It is a tactile history of the maker's touch, preserved in metal.
It is in these quiet moments—the pause between stitches, the breath before the hammer strikes—that culture is preserved. Not in museums behind glass, but here, in the dust and the heat, in the hands that refuse to forget.