gitanjali
a story about fate, love, loss, and a magical leaf
This story imagines the famous poem, Gitanjali, written in 1901 by the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, as a magical leaf. The story follows the leaf as she travels across time and place, dedicated to helping and healing all the companions she encounters along the way.
Every inch of the book is completely handmade, from the writing to silkscreen printing to bookbinding, by myself and Amrith Muhundan. Upon receiving funding from Central Saint Martins (University of Arts London), we were fortunate enough to bring this book to life in Santiniketan, India, at the exact arts school which Tagore established in early 20th century.
the making of gitanjali
During our 3-week stay in India, graciously hosted by Santiniktean Society of Visual Arts and Design, Amrith and I spent most of our days screen printing at Visva Bharati University, surrounded by cows, banyan trees, and mosaic-covered buildings.
paper cut imagery
We wrote the story and created its imagery in the paper cutting craft style using leaves, in reverence to the story’s protagonist, and inspired by the street art in Santiniketan.
silkscreen printing
Each page was then silkscreen printed by hand, with two layer colour separation. A true labour of love.
book binding
Finally, the book was sewn together using the case binding method and glued within its hardcover form.
