Workshops
Dreaming Stone
Interactive workshop for stone artisans and sculptors
Hosted by Progress landscapes Auroville
Led by Sculptor Artist Peter Markus
February 2022
Vision of Kal Karpanai
The idea for this interactive workshop started out of a deep concern for the future of stone crafts and the artisans whose lives revolved around this ancient occupation. In the course of my work as a professional landscape designer across india, I had been noticing the slow decline of the art of hand made stone crafting as a vocation and a way of life. With the coming of the Covid pandemic and a steady shift towards mechanised production of stone crafts, it is becoming harder for local stone craftsmen to stay gainfully employed and dedicated to their vocation by tradition and lineage.
Progress Landscapes of Auroville has always been interested in the welfare of regional stone craftsmen, some of whom it regularly comissions for its various projects. This workshop – Kal Karpanai – is seen as a way to introduce the local community of stone artisans, along with students of sculpture from regional Governnment institutions, to new ways of thinking about their craft under the guidance of a highly experienced and skilled professional sculptor invited from Europe.
Peter Markus, award winning sculptor from Hungary, is a close friend of mine and an annual visitor to India and Auroville. He had long expressed a desire to work closely with local stone masons to foster an exchange of ideas and techniques. So, in February of 2022, we decided to host an interactive workshop as a unique means to bring together practicing artisans and aspiring students of sculpture to learn new approaches to their craft through one of its principal mediums,stone.
The workshop was auspiciously held on the grounds of the famous Irumbai temple, on the outskirts of Auroville, known for its unique spiritual history and stirring legends. It was a consecration to a power that we believe creates and informs all life forms, both human and stone! It is my sincere hope that Kal Karpanai – Reimagining Stone – will inspire both artisans and students of sculpture to rethink the art and science of stone crafting for a new era driven by technology and change, yet defined by tradition and passion.
Collaborations
Art in all its forms moves and inspires us. They offer us new perspectives and introduce us to new approaches to the subject of design in general.
Since 2021 we have been hosting a reputed sculptor from Hungary – Peter Markus – who uses the facilities at our stone works and studio for his own artistic experiments. This ongoing collaboration led us to host an interactive workshop for young artisans and sculptors in 2022 with Peter Markus as lead presenter. It was very well received. The attendees were both students from local art schools and artisans who hailed from families traditionally engaged in stone crafting. The purpose was to expose these young craftsmen to new ways of perceiving materials, in this case stone.
We are open to collaborating with sculptors who work primarily with stone, wood, terracotta and metal to create a range of exclusive outdoor products both for their portfolio and for some of our projects. Write to us to know more.
Internships
Progress landscapes is an organization that is constantly looking ahead and beyond to expand its horizons. Creativity is its lifeblood. We will be pleased to have young designers come intern with us on some of our projects. We invite students of ecology, architecture, landscaping, horticulture and outdoor product design. Write to us to know about openings we may have.
Happy new year to all!
The team, friends and well-wishers of Progress landscape came together to welcome
the new year and to reflect upon the past one. It was an opportunity to give thanks,
evaluate our performance, celebrate our successes and set new goals for the future.
We plan to expand our circle of progress in 2025 through some new initiatives. One of
them under consideration is to turn Progress, in addition to high value landscape design
services that it is presently known for, into an institution of learning that offers immersive
courses in landscape design, architecture and building technologies.
Under this planned extension of activities, it intends to organize and facilitate focused
workshops and interactive summits for young students across the country looking to
make careers in the broad area of built environment design.
We will share details when available.
