Banana chips are a cliche, albeit a delicious one. If you are in town for the Kochi Muziris Biennale, here are the best things to buy from homegrown labels and some of our favourite spaces.
The Biennale Kada
The Biennale Kada showcases a range of products from Kerala handlooms to notebooks, jewellery to keepsakes, which the curator Annah Chakola says are “handmade and cultural keepsakes, each carrying a story.” Annah has her own store, Kada annahmol in Fort Kochi. She speaks of her curation as keeping in mind the Indian tourist as much as the foreigner, “The Biennale Kada is a one-stop shop curated to appeal to the global traveller and the Indian audience too.” She curated the Biennale shop the last time as well. Curating this way means simple keepsakes, serving as interesting memories of the Biennale. She intended the space as one where the visitor to the Biennale could take a pause, after visiting the sites, “this art event is heavy because of the subjects it deals with: politics, human rights…” The products have been chosen in such a way that they have resonance with Kerala.
Most of the merchandise has been handpicked, some of which have been sourced from NGOs. You can pick Art Every Moment sketchbooks made in neighbouring Alappuzha or funky notebooks designed by Kochi-based designer Vanessa Meister. There are graphic novels and comics by Studio Kokaachi, the Beehive India’s bird-inspired artworks, hand towels from Kara Weaves and Annah’s own label, Kada, and homegrown kombucha too. Try Paul and Mike’s burnost cheese or rum and raisin flavoured chocolates or pick up a Malayaliaano card game, which will test your Malayali credentials, for the journey back home. Also keep an eye out for the Biennale merchandise — t-shirts and totes which have Kochi Muziris Biennale emblazoned on them and the bags announce the theme ‘for the time being’.
At: Aspinwall House
At Pepper House
The Pepper House Shop
Alongside the art installations at Pepper House, you can pop into the Pepper House Shop which stocks garments, home decor, notebooks, jewellery, accessories, footwear and more. Among the labels available are Doodalge, Motherland, Lovebirds, No Na Me, The Burlap People, House of Urmi garments, Vanessa Meister (notebooks), Nikyta, No Nasties and Cord Studio. Says Tinky Thomas of the store, “This time around, for the Biennale, we are working with more brands. We will be stocking around 150-odd brands from across the country. Although we are open through the year, we have more around the Biennale because we get more people dropping in.” The 11 year-old store, Tinky informs, has a different brand catalogue for the Biennale because most of the visitors to the store are not foreign tourists but Indians: travellers and NRIs. Other attractions are the Beans of Bodhi outlet to pick up coffee like The Wild Fire Rush, The Eco Shock, The High Tide or The Tornado Twist and of course, head to Rakkaudella for made-in-Kerala chocolates.
At: Calvathy Road
Salt Studio at Fort Kochi
Salt Studio pop-up
Located across Pepper House, one of the Biennale venues, the Salt Studio Pop-up promises to be a treat for those looking for interesting, offbeat merchandise. The store has built a story around Chavittunadakam, Opera of Kerala, with the label’s garments that derive inspiration from the bright and bold colours and textures of the theatre form native to Kochi. Corset dresses, midis, tops, skirts, tunics and bustiers are part of the line of garments apart from statement jewellery pieces, hair accessories and bags. Especially interesting are the pieces of art — the Chavittunadakam-inspired figures made of clay by artist Helna Merin Joseph and VJ Lalichan and paintings on the theme by Vikalp Durga Mishra. “Very few people know about Chavittunadakam outside Kerala or even Kochi for that matter. So I thought why not build a collection around it for the Biennale. That is how the collection came to be. The garments are moving fast, faster than I expected as also the curios and accessories,” says Diya.
At: Calvathy Road
Inside Alka Hari X Found Objects pop-up store
Alka Hari X Found Objects pop-up
The store, which faces Calvathy Road, has an interesting collection of garments by designer Alka Hari, curios/home decor brand Found Objects, and Art by Vineetha Menon. While Alka’s line boasts Kerala handloom/silk garments, shirts and tunics, Found Objects is all about art and home decor like ceramic and clay ware, paintings, pouffes and more. Alka Hari’s line has been specially made for the Biennale, which she says was inspired by the handloom and embroidery traditions across the country. “I have incorporated those into the designs of the collection which are available only in this pop-up, and not at the Alka Hari studio or our online store,” says Alka. The curation was done by Alka, Vineetha and Thomas Joseph and Dhiya Charly of Found Objects, “the three of us sat down together to put together a collection that was contemporary. There is certain cohesiveness to the garments, the art and home decor on display at the store. We did not want it to look forcibly put together, but rather have a certain flow to the design and the display.”
At: Opposite Seagull, Calvathy Road
Inkpikle
Inkpikle stories
This tiny store, tucked away on Burgher Street, Fort Kochi, opposite Kashi Art Cafe is a homegrown, made in Kochi designer label with its easy and comfortable silhouettes. Inkpikle tunics, dresses, tops, pants and kaftans, are made of handspun and handwoven fabric, either printed or embroidered. The store stocks accessories too. It has another outlet at Mocha Art Cafe, Jew Town, also a Biennale venue. So we have launched our new store specially for the biennale season. It is a permanent store and is inside one of the biennale collateral venues, the Mocha Art Cafe.
“Our latest collection is meant to transition through the biennale season as a souvenir collection from Fort Kochi. The collection ‘Coexist’ draws inspiration from the architectural echoes of Fort Kochi — the intricate gables of shrines, colonial arches, wooden latticework, and fleur-de-lis motifs, each print translates architectural rhythm into wearable art. Keeping our minimalist but quirky design language we have played with line art and polka — it is a motif within a motif. The polkas act as little frames, almost like medallions or emblems, with print motifs inspired from these timeless architecture. Also hand embroidery inspired from the Portugese, Jewish and colonial times.”
The designs are made in handspun/ handwoven ahimsa silk/ non violent silk and also handwoven linen apart from the Inkpikle staple handspun handwoven mulberry silk. There is also 92.5 silver jewellery, limited edition of five pieces.
At: Burgher Street and Jew Town
