Welcome to 'The UM Box Saree' auction

Underwater Madhuban is auctioning this saree to raise COVID relief money for artisans hit by the pandemic. The funds will be directed to people in need by the Bindaas Unlimited Trust working tirelessly to help craftspeople in need. To make a bid, keep scrolling or click here.

ABOUT THE SAREE

The UM Box Saree is one-of-a-kind intricately designed and handpainted high quality cotton saree where the fabric elevates the design with its depth and texture. The saree is designed with the idea of yoga or union in mind.

The painting style is the artist's take on Madhubani art conveying the individuality yet cohesion of moments we live through. The abstract patterns comment on the relation and camaraderie of nature and self and the two as one. You can see the painting on one end of the saree and the border.

The fabric is a beautiful Indonesian cotton whose threads are very visible to the eye. While this makes the painting process particularly tricky, it gives the painting different dimension if seen up close versus the zoomed out effect. This mimics the box or tile based art and poetry of the saree commenting on how the individual pixels/atoms unite in a flowing textile poetry. We have had to procure and experiment with a number of painting tools to get the final effect.

INTERACTIVITY

This is a one of a kind saree that offers interactivity through its design. The tiles are labelled so that the wearer or anyone who captures the tiles as a picture can superimpose their own pictures, videos, stories or poetry to the empty tiles following the pattern of: 'a moment of sight', 'a moment of union', 'a moment of pause' and 'a moment of gravity'. We are very eager to see what you add to the art and make it a combined piece falling in theme with the idea of UNION/Yoga. You can mix and match the tile art digitally i.e. make a big collage or work with individual tiles. The tiles are diagonal so you can decide how to bridge the moments with your own impressions and reflections.

You can of course choose to leave the tiles empty as the saree is designed to be worn as is and to be played with as a united piece much like this world we dwell in.

Starting Bid: ₹ 12,450/-

(for your reference it translates to £120 / $167/ €140)

100% of your money will go towards COVID Relief work going on by Bindaas Unlimited Trust to help artisans badly hit by the pandemic in villages of India. Please find more about the venture here.

At UM, we are dedicated towards making the costs completely transparent and incessantly working towards fair pay for all the people involved from weavers, sellers, artists, package makers (yes! people who make boxes :)) and so on. Since a lot of the work is done in-house for this particular saree we are able to donate it for a social cause but honestly every-time you would make a purchase with us, we will only be keeping a small service charge while all else will go to the artists and small scale business owners. We are making a point to pay them fairly upfront but also share profits in case we have any.

Price Breakdown of The UM Box Saree

Material Cost: ₹7,250/- . This includes the fabric cost procured locally from a small scale business (Heera Fashions) and paint costs used to make the art. All of this money has already been spent towards making the product. The fabric is high quality Indonesian cotton which is truly unique. We have never seen such a fabric being used in a saree before. It has a special fall and glow to it that can not be described in words. Perhaps you can gauge its beauty from the pictures.

Art and Design Cost: ₹5200/-. This includes the art and design work gone into the overall saree look and feel: right from fabric decisions, color combinations, poetry, border design and art to the individual tile design and art. For this saree, the art and design has been done by Shringi Kumari (UM co-founder), however, in future we would like to keep a fair pay for our artists and work towards increasing art costs subsequently. This is where your bidding can increase the value you put on the artwork.

Service Charge: 5%: ₹720/-. UM charges a nominal fee for logistics (e.g. running around to find fabrics - so things like public transport or petrol costs), packaging (something that keeps the saree safe till it reaches you) and the light marketing we are doing.

Discount: –₹720/- Service Charges waived. We are offering a small discount for our starting bid as a token of appreciation for your support.

You will also receive a copy of the poetry book 'The Saree Shop' by Shringi Kumari published by Speculative Books as a give away with your saree box :)

How to Bid

To make a bid, simply fill in the details in the following form while the bidding window is open. We will reach out to whoever wins the bid via email and arrange payments. If you win, you can also choose to directly pay the money to the trust and show us the receipt. You will have to pay the shipping cost separately though.

*Because we care deeply about inclusivity, if you are a student or a first time saree buyer, you get ₹1000/- bonus from us on your bid, i.e. you can start bidding at ₹11,450/- and for all of your bids we will count it as if it were ₹ 1000/- more. In the comments section say first time saree buyer or student ( student IDs will be checked).

Bidding Closed.

Sold: ₹37000/- (i.e. £362 / $500/ €420)

Interaction

You can do a number of things to create a union piece.

For instance, take a picture and add your poetry, artwork, photos or videos to it. You could also place and arrange objects like utensils, leaves, jewelry to bring cohesion. You can of course add your artwork or poetry in the tiles :) Just have fun and share your art with us on Instagram. #underwatermadhuban

Art by Shringi Kumari © Underwater Madhuban
Contact us: underwatermadhuban@gmail.com; shringikv@gmail.com