Through a participatory design practice, a group of artisan women were invited to work with natural dyeing techniques based on the Japanese tie-dye technique Shibori, known as a shape resist technique.
The organic patterns that arose mimicked the patterns and ripples of the Indian Ocean. The very same ocean that we looked out on from our atelier as we intrinsically worked on the dyeing using the Indigo plant. The participants delved into the usage of the batata africana, African potato, which contains medicinal properties used to dye natural materials, contributing to a fervent dark purple colour. When placed in the Earth for a duration of 3 months, it develops a natural dark pigment and is then ready to dye once harvested. It is used habitually in the crafting communities to dye palha.
Through a participatory design practice, a group of artisan women were invited to work with natural dyeing techniques based on the Japanese tie-dye technique Shibori, known as a shape resist technique.
The organic patterns that arose mimicked the patterns and ripples of the Indian Ocean. The very same ocean that we looked out on from our atelier as we intrinsically worked on the dyeing using the Indigo plant. The participants delved into the usage of the batata africana, African potato, which contains medicinal properties used to dye natural materials, contributing to a fervent dark purple colour. When placed in the Earth for a duration of 3 months, it develops a natural dark pigment and is then ready to dye once harvested. It is used habitually in the crafting communities to dye palha.