Seventeenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

Situated in the northern part of India, Nizamabad is a small town from Azamgarh district in the State of Uttar Pradesh. The town has been enlisted to the Geographical Indications for black pottery. The practice of black pottery is common in many countries across the world. The Nizamabad black pottery has interesting characteristic features both in terms of style and techniques. The process and outcome of making, baking, and decorating a Nizamabad pot gives it a unique identifiable character. The black pottery of Nizamabad is decorated with linear patterns engraved on the surface and filled with silver colour that stands out boldly against the black backgrounds. These stylized, nature inspired shapes and patterns derived from the local environment give the clay ware a distinctive local identity. This research paper is an outcome of authentic data gathered during the field study in and around Nizamabad. The aim of this research was to study the methods and techniques of the craft and to explore the reasons that helped and caused the sustenance of black pottery to the present times. While the tradition of pottery is gradually diminishing from many old clusters, its active presence in a small district town intrigued the researchers to explore the reasons for its sustainability.