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)
I am interested in learning this technique. Do you paint the clay after it is dry and with what? Are cupboards being covered in the clay and does it crack off. I live in United States but travel to India often
hi i would like to know how could i do this mud-mirror work at home. what material should be used
from where, we can purchase colored glass pieces??
i m interested in traditional work & i like mud work, so i want to doing mud work in my bed room wall please content me on my email
hey,,i m interested in doing this type of mud work in my office. please contact me on my email
Hi,please send me the number of Vrushali Thacker in Borivali as i need to contact her for my home decor.
please do the needful as soon as possible
thank you
anybody teaching lipan kam in Pune really interested
i want to learn this beautiful art of mud n mirror…if u can share where in mumbai i can learn this art?
were we will get the classes in kutch
please let me know if i material and instructions are available in georgia, us.