A novel idea, stories found their voice in the intricate weave of fabric, taking anyone willing to listen, far from the hustle and bustle of a fast-paced city that never stops.
Published May 02, 2025 | 10:09 AM ⚊ Updated May 02, 2025 | 10:09 AM
Visitors listening to stories on the Sonic Blanket. (Supplied)
Synopsis: Bengaluru-based Karthika Sakthivel has a spread of stories in the lushness of Cubbon Park, providing a novel experience.
It was memories spread out on the lawns of Cubbon Park in the heart of Bengaluru’s Central Business District. And the memories spoke for themselves!
A novel idea, stories found their voice in the intricate weave of fabric, taking anyone willing to listen, far from the hustle and bustle of a fast-paced city that never stops.
Envisaged by Karthika Sakthivel, a storyteller and art educator at Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology, the spread comprised a picnic blanket, cushions, 65 patches of fabric, each embedded with touch-sensitive audio devices, and earphones.
Any discerning listener could sit on the blanket — or stretch themselves out — under the green canopy, and listen to memories and imagination recollected in the warp and woof of the fabric patches.
Sakthivel calls the project “an interactive picnic blanket” or “sonic blanket”.
Sakthivel said the idea occurred to her while working on oral history archives at the British Library. She then realised how drab it could be for people to sit and listen to audio on headphones, all the while facing a wall.
Karthika Sakthivel at the Cubbon Park. (Supplied)
“So I thought about making listening more embodied, felt, and immersive,” she said.
It began with one voice, of a woman reminiscing about her mother’s love for sewing and knitting, a recording filled with warmth and tenderness.
“There was so much fondness in her voice, and I wanted to capture and translate it. I thought, what would it be like to be enveloped by her voice,” Sakthivel recalled.
Sakthivel’s immense interest in storytelling and creating narratives beyond screens spurred her to craft what she now calls the sonic quilt.
Despite having no background in sewing, she was determined: “I learnt how to use the machine. Essentially we used conductive fabric, conductive tapes, thread, and there are some microcontrollers. Through wires I connected all the patches together, each patch having a corresponding story. A patch becomes a button that play a corresponding story,” she explained.
The power of touch and sound together proved transformative. “There is so much power in the sound, the minute you can touch it. People were so intrigued, and they came and listened for a long time,” she said.
The first version of the project, in London, was a hooded quilt designed for a one-person experience. In Bengaluru’s Cubbon Park, however, Sakthivel reimagined it as an open, collective picnic blanket, inviting a diverse range of visitors into an act of communal, active listening.
Sonic Blanket at the Cubbon Park. (Supplied)
“Cubbon Park is all about diversity. The project captures the plurality that the park offers,” she further said.
In a series of three-hour workshops, contributors were asked to pick an audio track from a curated list. They responded to the story through embroidery.
“We got 65 patches! The initial goal was just 24, but people were just very enthusiastic,” Sakthivel couldn’t hide the happiness.
Raised in a family of IT professionals who encouraged her to pursue a different path, Sakthivel reflected on the realities of an artistic life.
“The fear of doing something out-of-the-box never goes away. The fear doesn’t go away until you escape that rat race. Being an artist is a lifestyle. I always have to be tuned in and available for the ideas my mind creates. It teaches you to look at the world differently,” she explained.
Stories woven into Sonic Blanket. (Supplied)
“But at the same time, you are constantly questioning whether what you do is valuable or not. If your art is valuable to you, you need to hold on to it,” Sakthivel added.
The result is the interactive picnic blanket, where people can slow down, touch, listen, and go down the memory lane lined with stories.
Sakthivel’s project came true with the backing of the India Foundation for the Arts under its Project 560 programme, and BNP Paribas India.
Karthika coordinated the project while Navya Sah handled the sound recording and editing, Swathi Kumar conducted interviews, and Roshni Bhatia facilited the textile workshops. Photography and videography were by Vaibhavi Bhat and Aditi Shanbhag, with project support from Kalpana Sakthivel.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
