Cross-Cultural Textile Collaborations and Global Design Partnerships
Craft has no borders. At Tharangini, we bridge traditional Indian handblock printing with global contemporary design, bringing unique stories from studios like Bábbarra in Australia and universities like Parsons to our Bangalore workshop.
Behind the scenes with the ABC Network Australia. We were honored to be featured in their series on design and culture, sharing the story of our studio with a global audience.
A group of global textile enthusiasts from Textile Travells after a workshop. We love sharing notes on sustainability and natural dye techniques with fellow artisans from around the world, like those from Oaxaca, Mexico.
Our founder, Padmini Govind, presenting at Parsons School of Design in New York. We enjoy these community conversations, sharing our craft and looking forward to future collaborations with the next generation of textile designers.
We were delighted to host the Consul General for Bengaluru and the CEO of the Centre for Australia-India Relations. Our journey with Australian institutions is a lasting one, highlighted by our collaboration with the Bábbarra Aboriginal Women's Centre.
A print designed by a student from the University of Technology Sydney. Our virtual studio program with UTS allows students to design their own blocks, which we then carve in Bangalore for them to print with in Sydney.
Our collaborative exhibit, 'Karri-djarrk-durrkmiri,' in Darwin, Australia. Here, artists from Tharangini and the Bábbarra Women's Centre conduct a joint block printing and lino printing workshop.
A video from our virtual collaboration with the University of Technology Sydney. Students learn our sustainable print methods through a series of films, then design their own blocks to be carved by our artisans.
Filming a segment for ABC Network Australia in our studio. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with their talented crew and share the intricacies of our craft.
An artist from the Bábbarra Women's Centre learning to carve a woodblock at our studio. This hands-on exchange of skills is at the heart of our cross-cultural partnership.
A powerful image of cultural exchange. An artist from the Bábbarra Women's Centre in Australia and one of our master printers work together, their hands united by the craft of block printing.
About Global Connections & Collaborations
When we partner with international studios, our process goes beyond just printing. We translate complex lino prints or digital designs from collaborators into hand-carved teak wood blocks, bridging the gap between their home culture and our Bangalore-based artisans. It is a slow, iterative exchange that transforms global artistic visions into tangible, hand-printed textile stories.
Craft thrives on dialogue. Our work with international partners, from the Bábbarra Women's Centre in Australia to the University of Technology Sydney, is proof that textile art speaks a universal language. When students at UTS design patterns that reflect their own sense of place, they send them to us, and our master artisans carve them onto teak blocks. This transforms a digital sketch in Sydney into a physical, hand-printed textile in Bangalore.
These partnerships are not just exchanges of technique. They are deep, multi-layered conversations. We have worked with indigenous artists to translate complex lino designs into wooden blocks, preserving their stories on fabric. Whether it is hosting international textile enthusiasts for a week-long intensive or connecting with the Parsons School of Design, our goal remains the same: to keep this heritage alive by finding its place in the modern, global landscape. If you are a designer, an educator, or an organization looking to explore the intersection of traditional handblock printing and your own medium, we invite you to join the conversation.
Tharangini Studio
We are Tharangini, a family of artisans and custodians of heritage by the Sankey Tank in Bangalore. We see our studio as a living library of 6000 vintage blocks, constantly evolving through conversations with designers and students from around the world.
Explore our studio and craft
Find specific services or heritage workshops at our Bangalore estate.
More from Block Printing Workshops & Experiences by Tharangini Studio
More services by Tharangini Studio