Encountering the Obsolete Art: An Archaeological Gaze at the Contemporary Textile Tradition in India

Art is an essential glimpse into the history of humanity because it is often one of the few things to survive. It is a medium to express one’s feelings, which can tell us stories and relate the modes and beliefs of an era. Prehistoric art represents various aspects of the everyday life of early humans, including a diverse range of symbols and signs in multiple patterns. The present article explores how these ancient motifs can serve as the basis for decorating schemes for designers in the present fashion-oriented world. The modern generation is attracted to this pattern, and we have observed some novel design inventories that mimicked this type of artwork on their accessories. This article mainly analyses the contemporary fashion design trend in the last half-decade, which suggests the revival of such obsolete artwork in India. By correlating the past and present design motifs, the encounter of a common aesthetic sense emerged in this article, which shows a continuous artistic legacy from the yore to the present day. For this, the morphological analysis and comparative study of some current and ancient art motifs are also done. Although prehistoric art provides endless inspiration for designs as well as new ideas for art composition, we discuss the new avenues of inspiration in textiles using technology as well. Contemporary designers are also influenced by these fantastic artworks of our ancestors. So, it is necessary to show glimpses of the ancient art of India in modern fashion trends, which suggests innovation in designing practices inspired by the past.