File picture of foreigners at a Dokra workshop in Raghurajpur

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 6: Art breaks boundaries and this truth is being reasserted at the heritage village of Raghurajpur near Puri where tribal craftsmen are teaching artists from across the globe the art of crafting Dokra showpieces.

In the third edition of the ongoing Raghurajpur International Art and Craft Exchange (RIACE) festival is playing host to 22 international artists. Twelve of them have opted to learn the traditional art form at a workshop. The resource persons are two craftsmen from a non-descript village in Niyamgiri, where the art is widely practiced.

Gokul, 37, and Gatia, 22, are pleased to teach their foreign friends an art form that has created a niche for their tribal village in the world of creativity. They are also visiting the heritage village for the first time and spending their leisure time exploring other popular traditional art forms there. The duo is conducting a five-day workshop that concludes on Friday. The Dokra art workshop has been inducted in the itinerary of the festival for the first time.

To create a traditional Niyamgiri style Dokra craft, wires made of bees wax are spirally woven and moulded into a rough shape of the desired object. The next step needs finesse as a thick layer of clay is coated around the mould carefully, keeping a hole on top. Molten metal is then poured into the mould replacing the wax layer so that metal casting results in a strong shape of the object. Golden colour paint is coated on this to give ornamental finishing.

“Our craft is appreciated at exhibitions and such events. But we did not get a chance to train artistes from other countries in making Dokra. Also, being at Raghurajpur is a wonderful experience for us too since we are getting to learn so much about different art forms,” said Gokul.

The foreign artists are learning to make necklaces, bangles and small animal figures at the ongoing workshop.

“When I heard that such a workshop would be conducted, I immediately opted for it as it would help me in my profession of creating ornaments,” said Mark, a jewellery designer who has come from the US. Tiago, a fashion designer from Australia, also believes that he can incorporate the designs in his artwork.

Kshitish Das, an artist and one of the organisers of the festival, who understands the tribal language, has been playing the translator for the mentors.