Expressions of Traditional Textiles of India: - A Cultural Probe -

Traditional textiles of India have lengthy crafting traditions signifying cultural beliefs. With globalization and advancements in technology craft practices are on a rapid decline. Also, extensive studies have been conducted by researchers elsewhere about relationships between clothing, personality, emotions, preferences and wearable technology. Such research pertaining to traditional textiles of India is limited. Hence, the research reported in this paper aims at understanding contemporary perceptions of traditional textiles of India as understood by 30 young respondents as Experiment 1. And further, possibilities of merging traditional textiles with LEDs that could make textile crafts dynamic has been explored. This dynamic craft and its role in non-verbal self-expression in social space of 60 respondents has been reported as Experiment 2. Analysis reveals that both static and dynamic traditional crafts evoke positive emotions in respondents significantly and that the users are inclined towards using dynamic traditional crafts for non-verbal expression in near future.