Zakir was a part of the craft cluster visit to Jodhpur to understand and learn the fading craft of camel bone carving.
Cluster Visit
Research and Documentation
Getting Inspired
Translaitng the experience
The craft of camel bone carvinng is practiced throughout the world in many different forms. A diminishing craft, Bone carving gives back life to a life-less part and preserves it for centuries. It was our honor to go, study and understand the nuances of the business and work on a rare material like camel bone.
Zakir, a humble chordophone, features four cavaquinho-tuned strings and a simple design sans fretboard. Its plywood and bone soundbox modestly amplifies strummed tones. Play it directly or with a hammer-like motion for diverse volume and frequency. The resulting tones, though unassuming, offer an exciting range of resonances and amplifications.
The process started with a basic idea of using sound amplification properties of bone. From creating the inner skeleton with plywood and adding a bone shell. The next major step was to bring life to it using the strings. Choosing the right chords, understanding how zithers work, and then bringing it to life.