Planned as part of the innovative arts project Art In Manufacturing, and continuing themes developed in ‘Front Room Factories’, two hugely successful elements of the festival in 2017, Bansal aims to cross cultural traditions, time and family generations to recreate the making of a 1980s South Asian wedding in Blackburn town centre.

In search of authenticity and the participation of the Lancashire community, she is inviting the home-based artisans and the small businesses that can provide the unforgettable sensations that Bansal remembers from the Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi weddings she witnessed during her youth.

In addition to making skills, Bansal invites women to delve into their past, their wardrobes and attics to find their wedding dresses, asking them to come along to the festival dressed as they did on their big day. Members of the community are also encouraged send in any photos of their own 1980s wedding, or that of a friend or relative, as well as sharing artefacts and keepsakes to add to the range of visuals bringing the colour and joy of a traditional South Asian wedding to life.

To get involved in ‘The Making of a South Asian Wedding’ home makers, small business owners and friends and family members of people with traditional making skills are invited to get in touch with info@festivalofmaking.co.uk 

Find out more and follow the development of this year’s Art in Manufacturing commissions in our project pages