We have held meetings and workshops with various artisans and practitioners to learn from their craft and to understand their practice as knowledge. By observing and taking part in the work at the workplace, we are able to see the dissonances and resonances between text and practice. This also serves as a means to scrutinise texts in relation to practice.

For instance, our observations suggest that the practice of sculptors in Swamimalai draws from experience and an embodied sense of measure and proportion, and rarely refers to texts such as the śilpaśāstra. Even externalised models of proportion such as coconut leaves (ōlai), which are often associated with the practice (one of the cover images on our site depicts such a model), in practice functions more as a pedagogical tool. Observing practices in their context thus gives us a way to explore the relationship between text and practice. It also helps us to see practice and knowledge as inseparable.

We have tried to document many practices such as sculpting, land survey, boat making, fishing and so on. However, we are yet to explore them in depth. We would be glad to welcome anyone interested in studying them. This is one methodological aspect which we hope to actively work on and expand.