As part of the recently concluded Jodhpur Arts Week, held on October 1 to 7, and headed by the Public Arts Trust of India, designer and artist Aku Zeliang presented a striking installation at Toorji ka Jhalra, the 18th-century stepwell in the heart of the Blue City.
In a press release by Heirloom Naga Centre, Urra Design / Cane Concept, Imtisenla Changkiri stated that the installation featured three monumental handwoven vessels inspired by the traditional Rajasthani surahi, and handcrafted entirely on-site in collaboration with Jodhpur’s master artisans, the work was a layered exchange between the craft traditions of Rajasthan and Nagaland, two regions Zeliang is intimately connected with, having been born in Nagaland and raised in Rajasthan.
Rooted in Zeliang’s ongoing Huh Tu series, which draws from Naga tattooing traditions, the installation doesn’t blend cultures, it holds space for both: form, memory, and knowledge passed through hands.
Set against the historic stepwell, which dates back to the 1740s, the installation sat not just as an artwork, but as a living archive of shared craft legacies.
