Reclaiming copper from discarded electrical cables — exploring how waste can be woven, macraméd, and dyed into a textile material with presence and meaning.
TechTaar began with an interest in discarded electrical cables and the hidden value inside them. What first drew me in was the copper contained within the cables — a material that is usually concealed, overlooked, and treated as waste, yet has strong visual, tactile, and material potential.
This idea also connected to an early childhood memory of seeing artisans use virgin metal in aari embroidery at my mother's studio, one of the first moments when I became aware of material, craftsmanship, and the value of handwork. I wanted to explore how something so ordinary and discarded could be transformed into a textile material with presence and meaning.
The idea behind TechTaar grew from that starting point. I was interested in how reclaimed copper could move beyond its original function and become part of a textile language through weaving, macramé, and copper dye processes. This opened up a way of thinking about textiles not only as surface or decoration, but as a space where material transformation, structure, and memory could come together.
TechTaar is my way of asking how waste can be reimagined, how copper can be given a new life, and how textiles can carry both cultural depth and future possibility.
A visual record of the work — copper wire, reclaimed cables, woven and macraméd into textile form.
