Katran Chair thumbnail 1
Katran Chair thumbnail 2
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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Design 1900 to Now, Room 76

Katran Chair

Chair
2015 (manufactured)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This rocking chair is designed and made in Delhi by Sahil & Sarthak Design Co. The colourful rope is made from waste cloth that has been collected from factories and workshops producing garments for export. The cloth is sorted and hand-woven into balls of fabric rope in the villages of Barmer in Rajasthan. This type of katran (pieces) rope is cheaper than jute rope and is used by local people to make their charpoy (daybeds). Sahil & Sarthak Design Co. have developed a range of katran furniture in which they utilize this rope by wrapping it around a variety of metal frameworks.

This chair was acquired as part of the Shekou Project, an international partnership between the V&A and China Merchant Shekou Holdings (CMSK) to open a new cultural platform called Design Society in Shekou. It was included in the inaugural exhibition, ‘Values of Design’, in the V&A Gallery at Design Society in a section which explores transforming materials and themes of re-cycling.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleKatran Chair
Materials and techniques
Recycled rope made from waste cloth collected from export houses and factories. The cloth is sorted in the markets of Barmer in Rajasthan where it is woven into balls of fabric that are purchased by the designers. Barmer is well know for this production.
Brief description
Metal frame rocking chair with seat made from recycled muslin fabric ropes. Designed by Sahil & Sarthak Design Co, Delhi
Physical description
Metal frame-work chair with wooden detailing on the arms and for the rocking mechanism. Colourful recycled rope wound around metal frame to create the backing and seating.
Dimensions
  • Length: 83.5cm
  • Width: 64cm
  • Height: 95cm
Gallery label
Katran Rocking Chair Sahil Sartak Design Studio India, 2015 In Hindi, katran refers to pieces of leftover cloth which are often recycled for various purposes. Farmers, for instance, will spin such pieces into colourful ropes, used in weaving Indian day beds. Designers Sahil Bagga and Sartak Sengupta use this same rope to create contemporary lighting and furniture, such as this rocking chair.
Object history
This chair was included in ‘Values of Design’ at the V&A Gallery, Design Society in Shenzhen, China in 2017.
Summary
This rocking chair is designed and made in Delhi by Sahil & Sarthak Design Co. The colourful rope is made from waste cloth that has been collected from factories and workshops producing garments for export. The cloth is sorted and hand-woven into balls of fabric rope in the villages of Barmer in Rajasthan. This type of katran (pieces) rope is cheaper than jute rope and is used by local people to make their charpoy (daybeds). Sahil & Sarthak Design Co. have developed a range of katran furniture in which they utilize this rope by wrapping it around a variety of metal frameworks.

This chair was acquired as part of the Shekou Project, an international partnership between the V&A and China Merchant Shekou Holdings (CMSK) to open a new cultural platform called Design Society in Shekou. It was included in the inaugural exhibition, ‘Values of Design’, in the V&A Gallery at Design Society in a section which explores transforming materials and themes of re-cycling.
Collection
Accession number
IS.27-2015

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Record createdJuly 13, 2015
Record URL
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