Blogs
Hand Screen Printing
Posted on September 03 2019
A manual printing technique whereby a mesh is used to transfer ink into a substrate, except in areas impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil.
Many of the products here are screen printed with lettering at our very own pint studio
“i am WOMEN, not woMEN”
Posted on September 03 2019
We engage women self help groups and small scale vendors for manufacturing process. Behind each product there is an effort of many skilled hands which adds more value to product. The comfort of work at home, helps them to earn even in their vulnerable situations or in-between the home duties. These include working individuals and also groups of women working together as a unit. Women in each unit are empowered by creating an earning capability which helps their needs and to improve their social and economic standard of living.
Welcome, Karkidaka Maasam !
Posted on July 15 2017
Day 1 of Karkidaka Maasam : It is the fourth month of lunar calendar – Cancer a.k.a Karkidakain malayalam. Doted with plentiful rains, this month is about self-reflections and restrain. (that’s how the tradition goes) The monsoons flourish the great back-waters and people alike, also the tiny micro-organisms. Strictly, the way we see...
Malayalam Project @ Viakerala Design Shop
Posted on December 21 2014
MALAYALAM PROJECT is our favourite new pastime. As designers working in the medium of malayalam (language / letterform / landscape) this is an exhibit thats worthy of our time and research. It will show during the Kochi Muziris Beinnale 2014 - 2015 at the new Viakerala Design Shop Space at 292 B, Lily...
Bell tower of historic Kochi
Posted on April 15 2014
Built over hundreds of years, the streets of Mattancherry offer significant insights into the addition of Malabari Jew's architecture. The Jewish synagogue, is an iconic visual metaphor for the historic trading center of Kochi. The main synagogue building dates back to the 16th century - the newer structures grew around it and so did the visitors from...
Sankarankutty
Posted on March 10 2014
First in the classic malayalam movie inspired typography series, this rendition explores various facets of Malayalam as a language and its quirkiness. the negative (silk screen) Ee Sankarankuttiku penu venam, is literally translated as: this Sankarankutty wants a girl. It is also a very common phenomenon in Kerala (and India) that...
Earth & Fire made magnets
Posted on February 12 2014
Up-cycling the handmade produce from Kerala, we initiated terra-cotta works as Kaithozhil*, hand sculpted & fired earth magnets. Following the same thread of idea we are introducing, hand sculpted ceramic magnets. Celebrating the idea of travel and freedom, be it on foot, ubiquitous rickshaws or soaring high in sky, with these little mementos.Both terra-cotta...
Silk- Screen Printing
Posted on February 03 2014
Screen printing has been around for quite a few centuries and even to this day is a widely used practice. Almost anything that can be flattened, can be screen printed. Be it paper, cloth, canvas, wood, metal.... This process is more or less on the lines of developing photographs from...
Night Prowler!
Posted on May 31 2013
Each Viakerala tiger is a pillow and a toy but also holds a story of empowerment. We work with women’s self help groups in suburban kochi. Each piece is hand embroidered and appliqué using manual techniques of stitching (not electric or automatic machinery).
Self help Womens groups mean that the women who stitch this can work from home with the flexibility of timing and space and earn an income while also having household responsibilities.
The Wild Side
Posted on January 05 2013
The Western ghats, one of the worlds richest hotspots for biodiversity, need a wee bit more awareness amongst people. Nilgiri and Anaimalai Hills, the end stretch of Western ghats separates Kerala from Tamil Nadu, giving Kerala its liberal rainfall. These highlands are host to a number of Wildlife Sanctuaries, Jungle Reserves, conserving...
Reserved Norms !
Posted on December 22 2012
The multitudes of checks and colours one see floating on native shoulders when traveling these parts, that's a sight which sticks to mind as an essential local couture. Upscaling the 100% cotton handloom fabric, traditionally used to drape women in sarees and sometimes men in mundu, we try to gently bridge the gap...
Visual Metaphors
Posted on December 18 2012
Fort Cochin: Architecture The start to understand the spice market left us standing at its doors with a camera. Architecture spoke and we listened to the eased persuasions of the changing hands, from the star of David to Islamic arches, from Roman kuruss (cross) to Dutch siblings. Weathered textures revealed the layers of...
The jungle giants
Posted on December 13 2012
The giants of Periyar, their life and ways is brought to life with more design in playful colours, few words and more talk. In a wall hung poster, which also could be pulled out into 6 separate posters, we talk about human idiosyncrasies paralleled in traits of a tiger and...
The Jungle Gaints
Posted on December 13 2012
The giants of Periyar, their life and ways is brought to life with more design in playful colours, few words and more talk. In a wall hung poster, which also could be pulled out into 6 separate posters, we talk about human idiosyncrasies paralleled in traits of a tiger and...
Loopy Letter Love
Posted on December 05 2012
Read it, turn it, flip it, or even hang it upside down, a Malayalam letter is going to intrigue the reader. It does not matter if you can read Malayalam text or are lost in its curves and loops, it would still make sense with its asymmetrical balance. Dipped in colours that invariably catch the eye;...
Whether weathered or simply local
Posted on December 01 2012
The weathered textures of hand painted walls are but humble submissions to the gods of this country, who run their democracy with rain. Drawing inspiration from local graffiti, fused with in-vogue design and cuts, is born a sturdy-canvas bag thats ready to travel any weather, any distance.This limited edition canvas...
Happy Birthday Kerala !
Posted on November 02 2012
Look what the flying elephant brought in on Kerala Day - here's a tribute to Keralam and the backwaters; a deep violet 100% cotton tshirt thats modern and funky. 'Local' just got a whole lot cooler! The malayalam lettering (Keralam) is hand rendered in a verdant green against a...
Omo +Kol share Playtime Pic
Posted on June 07 2012
Baby Kol is half mallu and lives in New York, he met the viakerala elephants last month and they had quite a chat! Kol can't wait to visit this place called Kerala and hang out with his crew. Baby Omo on the other hand, lives in India but again far...
A Girl Called India
Posted on March 06 2012
Last summer, India Menninghaus spent a few months doing research and typography design at Viakerala. Heres an excerpt from her writings about working with the malayalam alphabet: 'Listening to Malayalam is exactly the same as trying to decipher the signs around the city: strings of dips and swirls that all...
Research + Play = Design
Posted on February 25 2012
The design team at viaKerala has been working behind the scenes with artists, users, wildlife researchers & photographers, naturalists and even young kids to develop interesting awareness products at Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. We have some names to name and some friends to meet:Dr. A. Veeramani, Ecologist, Periyar Foundation, Periyar Tiger...
Elephant posse
Posted on February 24 2012
Check out these cool elephants hanging out at Viakerala, thekkady.Once you get to know them, you're sure to be friends for life.Did you know that an elephant's memory is ever lasting?
Hand Woven + Hand Made = Hand Bag
Posted on February 23 2012
Via Kerala is seeking to conserve creative traditions in a number of ways. By experimenting with and re-working hand-crafted designs, by utilizing local craftsmen and women to produce our designs, and by using locally hand-made fabrics within our designs, where possible. Skills such as needlework, weaving and basket weaving are...
Twisting Type, Twisting Tongue
Posted on February 23 2012
A beautifully curly script, Malayalam’s loopy curves co-incidentally symbolise the movements the tongue makes during pronunciation, and some characters are ever so hard for a non-native to pronounce. In some instances Malayalam takes your tongue to places it’s never been before! At Viakerala, we have been researching on local...
Namaskaram, this way in
Posted on February 20 2012
The fact that the Viakerala store and the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary lie in the same corner of the world is also representative of the more obscure similarities between the two initiatives. In the same way conservationists in national parks seek to protect, research, sustain, and promote wildlife and the interest...
Official, Officially, Finally
Posted on February 20 2012
After so much planning and test runs, the Viakerala shop finally opens on Feb 5, 2012. Yes the Kerala villaku made an appearance to honor the moment. (gave the designers some time to contemplate a new interpretation for the traditional lamp!) Deputy director Sanjayan Kumar, from Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary and Dr....
Wild 5 Five - the heroes of Periyar
Posted on February 04 2012
It goes without saying that the location inspired the ‘Wild 5 Five’ range of awareness accessories. Featuring 5 iconic endemic species, diverse in their appearance and behaviour, Wild 5 Five is designed to raise awareness of the Periyar forest and its precious inhabitants. If you are in Thekkady, take some...
A Shop Viakerala
Posted on January 31 2012
Marco and Gianna walked into viakerala for the pre-launch curious to know our italian connection (via = street; in Italian). we told them about the similar connotation in literal postman terminology, but also talked about journey as a motif for artistic exploration. heres a few things they found interesting -...
Republic Day Pre- Launch
Posted on January 25 2012
Not official yet but yes, you're welcome inside!Take a sneek peek at the first viaKerala store, near Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Thekkady! Checkout the interaction center, meet our designers, and take back some cool Wild5Five hero t-shirts n your way back from the Periyar National Park. The compilation of the wild...
An Experiment in Typography
Posted on January 25 2012
The malayalam letterform is symbolic of the character of Kerala and its people; the rounded curves resonate the sound of the spoken language. The viaKerala letterform is an experiment that combines vernacular street signage with a modern futura; a typographic tribute to malayalam.
The Flying Elephant
Posted on January 24 2012
Ever walked into a Kerala store without seeing a wooden elephant, or rather, a collection of wooden elephants? typical, boring, predictable. that seems to define everything from Kerala. But hell no! the people are vibrant, educated, they travel the world and are philosophers at heart.
Kerala Viakerala
Posted on January 24 2012
We stir up pride in the heart of a malayalee, and plant intrigue in the heart of a traveler. We divulge obscure local happenings, promote the finest hand made crafts, and connect interested adventurers with the local inhabitants. We weave together the mysticism of tradition with the momentum of modernity.
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