Lippan kam or mud-mirror work
Lippan (roughly translated-mud washing in Gujarati language and the spelling should be lipan)
kam (is work in Hindi and Gujarati)
Lippan kam is a decorative art done by common people mainly women.
Lippan kam is done inside bhungas/mud huts in villages of Kutch, Gujarat.
Lippan kam is generally done inside the house but sometimes you can find it on outer walls too.
Generally harijan and Rabari women make birds, trees, animals, peacock, human figures etc in lippan kam.
It is done with a mixture of clay and camel dung. Now gum is used to stick mirrors.
Originality of lippan kam lies in adding no colour or only whites.(You may get few pieces of very colourful mud-mirror work in export houses online; exotic pieces but I won’t call it lippan kam!)
Small round, diamond-shaped or tringle mirror pieces are essential to lippan kam. Many a times mirror pieces are a little embroidered.
It is simple technique, anyone can do it.
Can you see slightly raised mud lines-spread with hands.
You just need to use the thumb with two fingers! ?
See the embroidered mirror here ?
I just love-love lippan kam.
All of you who go to Kutch, don’t forget to take photos of lippan kam (and don’t forget to send me all images!!).
(Not all photos are of good quality but I had to put all)
(images courtesy Llnosom on flickr, panjo kutch, hodka villages, travelblog, baps care, indi studio, my cuttings)
thanking you for lovely graphics advertised for your side
now..comming back to lippan kam…i had seen this art in one of the parlours’ i went…put at the entrance,a huge piece…it was ‘marvelous’…i wonder wat that art was then…now am in africa i tired venturing into this art but in vain…i guess i will try visiting kutch to learn this art…pls leme knw if anyone of u have tried making this n was a success…
chow
do you know if any one can make this lovely piece of work on a photo frames
it is really a lovely piece of work.awesomewould really like to stay in such houses
This is beautiful work – have just seen some examples in homes, a couple of stores plus the NID in Ahmedabad (am doing an residency at Arts Reverie here in Ahmedabad.
Off to Kutch next week to see the real stuff and feel even more inspired and excited after seeing your pictures – thank you! hopefully will have a go at making some. It never ceases to amaze me – the exterior of a place seeming so simple – it is like walking into Aladin’s cave. Will take lots of pictures and send through.
now..comming back to lippan kam…i had seen this art in one of the parlours’ i went…put at the entrance,a huge piece…it was ‘marvelous’…i wonder wat that art was then…now am in africa i tired venturing into this art but in vain…i guess i will try visiting kutch to learn this art…pls leme knw if anyone of u have tried making this n was a success…
chow
i required some people to carry out this work in mundra. can you sggest some names.
Hi Nirav,
I wish I could help you but…
Maybe you could ask Hodka villages (link in the post) people, they might be able to help you.-Roma
Dear Anrosh,
why apologize? I completely agree with you. Even I would have used the word ransom.
I apologize . Ransom is not the correct word. But would you call Indian scarves sold at $350 at a high end fancy store in manhattan.
and Ikaat dress sold by a designer at $ 3500
An.. rosh (its a beautiful name but) may I call you Aan,
Thank you so much for a journey down memory lane(courtesy ur friend)! having bookish info is a different thing.
And ‘ransom’ what an apt word! we have neither been able to devise a rule for a profit margin nor do we understand to pay real artisans.
The art & craftsof Kutch-rogan, aari, aabhla bharat-all is musical to me!
ps did u mean u saw lippan kam being sold for ransom?