Machine learning to save 2000-year-old geometric motifs of Bengal’s jamdani, and even create new ones? Yes, this is what research students at Bangladesh’s Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST) have developed — a unique dataset of jamdani motifs — in their bid to preserve this centuries old intangible heritage.
The What: The Jamdani Naksha is a one of its kind dataset of jamdani motifs in digital format which can be used for further research. It contains a large number of pre-processed images of jamdani motifs collected from various authentic sources, sections of the Bangladeshi media reported, quoting Mohammad Imrul Jubair, Assistant Professor at the CSE department of AUST, under whose supervision this research was conducted.
The team took advantage of a particular branch of Machine Learning, which is the Generative Adversarial Network. Their key idea was to make their system learn the patterns of authentic jamdani designs by providing many original motifs.
— Mohammad Imrul Jubair
Assistant Professor
CSE department, AUST
The Research: The four-member team comprising Humaira Ferdous Shifa, Md Tanvir Rouf Shawon, Raihan Tanvir and Susmoy Kar, from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, conducted this research as part of their undergraduate thesis. Shifa elaborated: “Users can select any of the pre-sets of motifs from the system we developed or draw rough strokes as input, and a complete motif mimicking the geometric structure of the real ones will be generated instantly.”
- This strikingly patterned textile heritage is now globally popular but many of its motifs have been lost with time with the passing away of artisans as their lineage could not preserve all of it in just memory. The research thus aims to preserve the motifs of jamdani and take the country a step ahead in making the craftsmanship required to weave the geometric motifs to generate entirely new motifs from a user’s input.
If we generate an app for the dataset we developed, it can be used as a tool to generate innovative jamdani motifs not only on fabric for clothes, but any other craft. It will also allow international or national businesses to flourish by connecting local artisans. The invention will resuscitate the fine art of jamdani weaving by preserving the motifs from further extinction while carrying on the legacy of the surviving motifs.
— Humaira Ferdous Shifa
Assistant Professor
CSE department, AUST
- The team has since made it to the top 50 at Unibator, the most extensive venture incubation competition launched by the Ministry of ICT, Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority (BHTPA), and the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB).
On the UNESCO List: The artisanal jamdani, a vividly patterned, sheer cotton fabric, traditionally woven on a handloom by craftspeople and apprentices around Dhaka, and in West Bengal in India, was inscribed in 2013 on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
- The UNESCO website, is a time-consuming and labour-intensive form of weaving because of the richness of its motifs, which are created directly on the loom using the discontinuous weft technique.
- The weavers develop an occupational identity and take great pride in their heritage; they enjoy social recognition and are highly respected for their skills. A few master weavers are recognised as bearers of the traditional jamdani motifs and weaving techniques, and transmit the knowledge and skills to disciples.
- However, Jamdani weaving is principally transmitted by parents to children in home workshops. Weavers – together with spinners, dyers, loom-dressers and practitioners of a number of other supporting crafts – form a closely knit community with a strong sense of unity, identity and continuity.
