The Art of mud mirrors: A timeless tradition

The traditional mud mirror art which is also known as Lippan Kaam or Chittar Kaam is one of the overlooked marvellous arts that India offers. It's not surprising that our generation prefers modern artworks over traditional ones, but one should preserve the latter which are almost on the verge of being lost.

However, currently, the art has regained its significance due to artisans who unveiled their ethnic works to the people through social media platforms. Rashmi Bhumi Reddy speaks with Lippan artist, Chitrashekar regarding the story of this marvellous art.

Origin

Chitrashekar, a Lippan artist from Bhopal who began her journey in the year 2010 said, "Lippan kaam is the traditional folk craft of Kutch (Gujrat) which is done directly on the wall to make the temperature of (houses in Kutch) Bunga huts cooler. It is mainly done by the women of the Rabari community & the men of the Mutva community. The local mud is mixed with donkey dung which is applied to the wall. Later, Relief designs are created with mud and mirrors are embedded on them. The beautiful work adorning the walls of the natives reflects their love for embellishments. They also have similar designs and motifs in their embroideries. The natives believed that mirrors will ward off evil and are an integral part of their embroideries and their walls."

Mud Mirror art process

The process begins with the preparation of dough which is a mixture of clay and dung that can be laid on a flat surface such as walls, floors, doorways, ceilings and partitions. The natives used camel dung or wild ass dung for preparing dough that is mixed with clay. It acts as the binding agent of dough. Sometimes millets are used as an alternative to prohibit the attraction of termites.

Recently, the dough has seen an evolution as many artisans are using clay, sawdust, glue and chalk powder which makes the art long-lasting and odour and maintenance-free.

A border named Kaam or kaamtane is made and the dough is rolled and laid out as per desired pattern.

Finally, it is decorated with mirrors to provide the contrasting texture of the clay and produce intricate designs that are coloured later. It takes days to dry before they are coloured. However, during the ancient days, due to the unavailability of pre-cut mirrors, stones were used to shatter a large mirror. Then the pieces were collected to use in these artworks.

The most popular designs used in this art, especially in Kutch, are geometric shapes and forms, peacocks, camels, mango trees, symbolic temples, daily activities of life and many more.

The growing popularity of Lippan Kaam

Nowadays, it finds a new place in interior designs in the form of wall decor and is used in modern workplaces and homes. The artworks are also available in frames or wooden panels.

Chitrashekar says, "I have conducted various workshops on Mud and Mirror art to share the knowledge and techniques of the art to the people in an authentic way both offline and online. My effort is to keep this unusual art form alive and thriving for times to come. Moreover, I started an exclusive brand for Lippan Kaam named "Lippankaari by Sattva”. The motive of Lippankaari is to keep the authentic Mud Mirror art alive & thriving, so this beautiful earthy art can be a part of the urban space. My key goal is to spread knowledge about this unique art form to various cities and countries as possible."

Recently, many artisans are creating marvellous and vibrant mud mirror designs which attract the attention of the people. They also make customized designs for the customers. Apart from tourism, social media plays a key role in preventing the art from its extinction.

Around 2021-22, this art has become quite popular and artists have started experimenting with the readily available clay & mirrors. Customers also love this beautiful & earthy craft and are interested to adorn their houses with it. Moreover, people love to learn and create traditional art forms authentically. Many educational institutions, NGOs and others initiated workshops on Lippan arts for people to engage, especially children.