Ancient circular design method - Lost wax casting | Ep. #73

<p>Hello &amp; welcome to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/circular-business-podcast/">Circular Business Podcast</a>’s special edition of weekly gupshup with the <a href="https://www.thecircularcollective.com/">Circular collective</a>, I’m your host and dost <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sreepriyasridharan/" target="_blank">Sreepriya Sridharan</a> and today we'll discuss the ancient casting method of lost-wax technique and understand its relevance to circular design methods with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikas-dargan-89257174/">Vikas Dargan</a> from The Circular Collective. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikas-dargan-89257174/">Vikas</a> is an Architect ,a cultural professional and Anant fellow, who is passionately working towards craft revival and rural livelihood generation.</p> <p>Lost wax casting, which is also known as cire-perdue, process attained after a thorough modification over centuries and is believed to be more than 5000 years old.</p> <p>The history of metals and their shaping is as ancient as the history of civilization. The lost wax casting technique is a method of metal casting, in which hot metal is poured into a wax model, which is ‘lost’ during the process and the wax is retrieved to be used again.</p> <p>Evidence of the technique can be tracked in the iconic “Dancing Girl” bronze sculpture, made in 2500 BCE in Mohenjo-Daro, to its extensive use during the rule of the Chola dynasty of Southern India (c. 850 CE - 1250 CE). Also, during the medieval period, Chamba valley was an important political and artistic centre, therefore attracted masters from the region including Kashmir valley to adapt the technique for their unique detailing and craftsmanship of Mohra icons. The technique revolutionized the production and utilization of ritualistic and utility items. It enabled to conveniently take idols out of temples for ritual processions and empowered craftsperson to cast complex designs with intricate detailing.</p> <p>The extensive use of such rigorous but efficie