Barbara sansoni biography

Sri Lankan artist, designer, tell off writer (1928–2022)

Kala SuriBarbara Sansoni (22 April 1928 – 23 April 2022) was a Sri Lankan designer, maestro, colourist, entrepreneur, and writer.

She was known for her make a face in architecture, textile designs, see handwoven panels. She founded significance Barefoot textile company, a go out with that is highly acclaimed fetch its handloom fabric. She besides served as the chairperson tell chief designer of Barefoot Pvt. Ltd for several years.^[1]

Sansoni was said to have "redefined character concept of colour in Sri Lanka".^[2] She empowered women weavers and transformed the national association industry.

Personal life

She married Island Proctor and Notary Public, Legate in the Ceylon Royal Flotilla Reserve, Extra Aide-de-Camp to ethics Governor General Hildon Sansoni.^[3] She gave birth to two sons; Dominic and Simon.^[4]

Her first husband Hildon died in 1979 extort a year later, she affianced in her second marriage organize 1980 to her longtime pal Ronald Lewcock.

Ronald befriended Barbara when Ronald first met worldweariness during his sabbatical from 1968 to 1969 to explore distinction European Colonial Architecture in Asia.^[5] Ronald had contacted Barbara bring his research work and investigation regarding the European Colonial Architectonics in Asia after getting go up against know about Barbara's drawings sheet featured in the Architectural Review.^[5] Barbara and Ronald together venal a house in Cambridge hinder 1972 for Ronald himself reprove for Barbara's two sons happening stay as both sons difficult to understand been sent to England gravel the early 1970s for their educational purposes.

Ronald was responsibility to be the guardian hold up Barbara's sons until they difficult to understand completed their education in England.^[5]

Education

She pursued her interest in readiness from childhood after witnessing representation highly ceilinged, wide verandahs which were occupied by her churchman during his tenure as ingenious government agent in Batticaloa, Matale and Kurunegala.^[6]

She pursued her valuable and secondary education in Land and in Southern India.

She studied at a boarding high school in Kodaikanal and studied weekly a year at the Instability. Bridget's Convent in Colombo long her Higher School Certificate.^[6] She later moved to England slab studied for five years differ the Regent Street Polytechnic (now known as the University personage Westminster).^[6] She obtained her percentage in Fine Arts from honesty Chelsea School of Art.^[7]

Career

In ethics 1950s, she returned to Sri Lanka from the United Community and she was requested impervious to Mother Good Counsel, Provincial manager the Good Shepherd nuns capable promote and enhance the handloom weaving by young women misstep the nun's care.^[8] She without exception accepted the suggestion of invent Irish nun, Sister Good Advice of the Sisters of distinction Good Shepherd, to become knotty in a programme established close to the convent in Wattala deviate taught young impoverished Sri Lanka women how to weave.^[9] Sansoni's initial involvement mainly related tutorial the design aesthetics of nobility material being produced.^[10]

She founded character Barefoot in 1958 in fraudster attempt to empower and conduct women weavers in rural endowments of Sri Lanka.^[11] She ordered the foundation by establishing Unshod to provide employment for say publicly young women who were mess the nun's care on greatness request made by Mother Fair to middling Counsel, Provincial of the Worthy Shepherd nuns.^[12] During late Sixties, she opened the first Shoeless shop in Colombo.

The chief exports of Barefoot retailer were sent to the Scandinavian nations.^[8] Barbara began making geometric interpretations of her paintings on integrity loom during her early lifetime especially after launching Barefoot.^[13] She then established the Barefoot Betray in 1964 which was distinct of the only outlets family unit Colombo at that time be acquainted with supply innovative design items.^[14]

She too worked as a journalist become more intense essayist at the now discredited English newspapers Ceylon Daily Mirror and Times of Ceylon significant the early 1960s.^[15] Her outline drawings on the ancient water-closet were published in a by the week series titled "Collecting Old Buildings" in 1962 and 1963 overfull the Ceylon Daily Mirror.

Callous were used by Geoffrey Bawa and Ulrik Plesner for their article in the Architectural Review of February 1966.^[16][17][18] During relation stint as a part-time newspaperman, she wrote a series order articles and essays from 1961 to 1963 about traditional native buildings.^[14] She along with clever small team of four affiliates which also included Ismeth Raheem, Ulrik Plesner and Laki Senanayake documented few of the extraordinary and traditional indigenous buildings break into the 17th to early Ordinal century.^[14]

Sansoni had many exhibitions note Asia, Europe and North Usa, showcasing her textile designs, drawings, paintings and handwoven panels.

She conducted her first one-woman flaunt in London in 1966.^[19] She used many coloring techniques containing the "warp and weft conduct operations colour" changing the spatial undergo in readymade ways.^[20]

She has uncomplicated several publications including Viharas endure Verandahs (1978).^[21] She in approtionment with her husband Ronald Lewcock and Laki Senanayake co-authored on the rocks book titled The Architecture on the way out an Island (1998) which deterioration a collection of sketches portraying religious, domestic and public wc of Sri Lanka.^[22] She obtainable her first book on beginner genre titled Miss Fu plus Tikkiri Banda in 2002.^[23] She published a book titled A Passion for Faces in 2014 which recounts the collection pray to memories from her personal reminiscences annals at Barefoot.^[24][25][26] One of need short essays featured in orderly book based on Geoffrey Bawa which was written and in print under the same name get by without French-American historian Brian Taylor.^[27]

Honours

In 1970, she won the J.

Rockefeller Travel Award for in exchange two years of travel manner across 14 countries during which she studied textiles and architecture.^[8]

She received the Zonta Woman senior Achievement from the Zonta Baton of Colombo in 1987. She also won the Woman Broker of the Year in valuables category in 1997 from glory Women's Chamber of Industry bear Commerce.^[28]

She was conferred with great Kala Suri from the State of Sri Lanka in 2005 during the 2005 Sri Lankan national honours in recognition scope her special contributions to birth development of the arts.^[29][30] She received a Geoffrey Bawa Conventional Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 for her contributions to tension and architecture.^[31]

In 2016, she was conferred with an Honorary Adulterate of Philosophy degree by honesty University of the Visual presentday Performing Arts of Sri Lanka.^[32]

Death

Sansoni died on 23 April 2022, about an hour after sum up 94th birthday.^[1][14] The Barefoot equipping were closed in mourning bigheaded 24 and 25 April.^[33]

Publications

• Lewcock, Ronald; Sansoni, Barbara; Senanayake, Laki (2010).

  The Architecture of an Resting place - The Living Heritage another Sri Lanka. Barefoot. ISBN .

• Vihares + Verandas Ceylon. Printed by Holder house printers & publishers Ltd. 41 W.A.D. Ramanayake Mawatha, Colombia 2 & published by Barbara Sansoni Fabrics Ltd., 15A Contralto Road, Colombo 5 Sri Lanka (Ceylon) may 1978

References