POKED THE COLLECTIVE
THE CHALLENGE
THE WORKSHOP
A Needlework Movement to Slow Down
Poked the Collective was my final-year project at LASALLE, creating a community of needleworkers who use the slow craft of stitching to promote cultural activism and mental well-being among urban Indian youth. It challenged the pressure to constantly “make it” by offering workshops, a portable stitch kit, an editorial on the craft’s benefits, and the Instagram-led #GETPOKED challenge.
While others distract with gloss, jargon, and surface flash,
we operate on a sharper, simpler principle
Needlework is a dying craft in India amongst the westernised Urban Youth. It was difficult to connect them to the craft in itself. Hence the idea was to create quirky and interesting visuals that intrigues and fascinates them.
The workshop was a fun, playful and reflective way of "slowing down" with the participants.
The stages consisted of a four step process— using symbolism to depict a message along the needlework. Since this project was struck by the pandemic, I extended the scope by creating "slow down" kits for students to try these hands on.
THE EDITORIAL
The editorial is the first publication by Poked that focuses on two aspects - 1) Establishing the validity of needlework as a mindful practice in a group. This has recorded observations from the workshop that was conducted. 2) It establishes how the craft digs deeper and becomes a mindful tool of expression when individuals are alone/ by themselves. Hence the editorial documents
and establishes proof of needlework as a mindful tool of activism both at the individual and
group level.
SOCIAL MEDIA AWARENESS
The collective introduced a campaign called the #getpoked challenge on its Instagram handle @POKEDTHECOLLECTIVE, encouraging the youth to participate in needlework and raise a voice against the fast paced life and peer pressure imposed on young people. The campaign received much support from re-known organisations such as Youth for Mental Health, India and also received much participation from all over the country.
