4. BioChromes

Research

Natural dyeing is an ancient practice that involves using plant, mineral, and sometimes animal-based materials to color fabrics and fibers. Unlike synthetic dyes, which are chemically produced, natural dyes offer a more sustainable and eco-friendly alternative. The process not only emphasizes creativity but also connects artisans to the environment, history, and culture. Here's an overview of the natural dyeing process, including its techniques, and the values it upholds.

Environmental Sustainability

Natural dyeing is considered environmentally sustainable because it uses renewable resources, such as plants and insects, and produces minimal chemical waste. However, when scaled up, it can become less sustainable due to the large quantities of water, land, and natural materials required, which can strain local ecosystems. Additionally, overharvesting certain dye plants or insects like cochineal can lead to biodiversity losser-intensive process and potential contamination from mordants also raise environmental concerns when implemented on an industrial scale .

Cultural Preservation

Natural dyeing techniques are an essential part of many indigenous and traditional cultures around the world. Each culture has its unique plants, methods, and symbolism associated with colors. By practicing and promoting natural dyeing, artisans help to preserve cultural heritage and ensure these time-honored traditions are passed on to future generations.

Creativity and Experimentation

Natural dyeing allows for a high degree of creativity and experimentation. Each plant or mineral offers a different hue, and the same material can produce different colors depending on the method of extraction, the mordant used, and the fabric it’s applied to. Artists can experiment with dye combinations, resist-dyeing techniques like shibori or batik, and over-dyeing to create complex, layered results.

References & Inspiration

Aboubakar Fofana

He uses a natural fermentation process to extract indigo from plants and applies it to textiles in various shades of blue.

Mood Indigo

In Mood Indigo, Fofana revisits the ancient indigo dyeing techniques of West Africa, particularly from his Malian roots. Indigo has been a symbol of wealth, spirituality, and protection in many African societies for centuries. Through this project, Fofana highlights the importance of preserving these traditional crafts and passing them on to future generations. His work emphasizes not only the beauty of the indigo process but also the critical role it plays in cultural identity.

Barbara Rakovska

I found her work during biochromes week particularly inspiring because of the depth of her research and her innovative approach to creating new colors through filtration.

Meridian Jacob's Farm

At Meridian Jacob's Farm, botanical printing is combined with their passion for wool and natural fibers. Wool, silk, and cotton fabrics are often used as a base for these prints, which are created using the farm’s natural environment as inspiration. The use of local plants, like leaves from eucalyptus, oak, and other native species, not only results in stunning visuals but also supports the farm’s commitment to eco-friendly practices.

Tools

Process and workflow

We visited Wool Way to explore the dyeing process with Mariam's guidance. She explained everything in detail, showed us various examples, and provided hands-on assistance throughout, making the experience both insightful and practical.

Based on Armenia's centuries-old rug-making history, the country's hand-woven rug industry has been working for more than ten years to achieve new standards in terms of quality and style. In particular, starting in the 1870s and continuing until now, Armenian rugs, also known as Caucasian rugs, have been the most sought-after ornamental art in both Europe and the US. The current tendency is to replicate the updated versions of those ancient carpets in the best possible quality, which calls for skilled artistic craftsmanship, intricate design, and a final rug's overall durability and tactile feel

Prepare The Fabric

Scour

Before dyeing, we made sure to clean the fabric to remove any oils, dirt, or waxes that could block the dye from penetrating. We soaked the fabric in hot water with mild soap or soda ash for at least an hour, then rinsed it thoroughly to ensure it was completely prepared for the dyeing process.

Mordant

Before dyeing, we always pre-treated the fabric using a combination of alum and cream of tartar. These two substances acted as mordants, helping the dye adhere better to the fabric fibers. Alum was particularly useful for enhancing the brightness of the colors, while cream of tartar softened the fabric and improved the dye’s absorption. This careful pre-treatment step ensured that the dye bound well, resulting in vibrant, long-lasting colors.

Process

The Recipe

Finally, after mordanting, I made sure to rinse the fabric or yarn thoroughly to remove any excess mordant. Once it was rinsed, I let it dry completely to ensure it was fully prepared for the dyeing process. I always labeled each piece of fabric with a note specifying the type of mordant used, which helped me keep track of how different mordants affected the final color. This way, I stayed well-organized and ready to move forward with the dyeing phase.

Dye Bath

First, we gathered natural dye materials, like plants, flowers, or roots, and chopped them into small pieces. This helped extract more color. Then, we filled a large pot with water, enough to cover the fabric we were dyeing, and added the dye material to the pot. We brought it to a simmer, letting it gently bubble for about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how intense we wanted the color to be.

Plant-Based Dyes

To extract plant-based dyes, we started by gathering various plant materials, including leaves, roots, and flowers. For example, we used marigold petals for yellow, St. John's wort for green, and indigo leaves for blue. Once we had our materials, we chopped them into smaller pieces to increase the surface area, making it easier for the dye to be released.

Animal-Based Dye

For the cochineal dye, we followed a different process. We started by grinding the cochineal insects into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle. This step was crucial because the finer the powder, the better it would release its color during extraction.

Dyeing the Fabric

We began the dyeing process by adding our mordanted fabrics, which included silk and cotton, into the dye bath we had prepared. After ensuring that the fabrics were fully submerged, we gently simmered them for about 30 minutes to an hour. During this time, we stirred the fabrics occasionally to ensure an even distribution of color throughout each material. For instance, when dyeing silk with indigo, we noticed how the fabric gradually transformed from a pale blue to a richer shade as it absorbed the dye.

We also experimented with leather in this dyeing process, which was quite exciting. Interestingly, we didn’t mordant the leather before dyeing, yet it absorbed the color remarkably well. The leather came out with rich, deep hues that exceeded our expectations, showcasing the unique characteristics of natural dyes on different materials.

Recipes

Results Dyeing Fabric

Documenting experiments

We mixed indigo and cochineal with other colors and applied them to materials like wool yarns, cotton, silk yarns, and leather. This allowed us to explore a wide range of unique shades and textures across the different fabrics.

Mixing different natural dyes

We also experimented with mixing different natural dyes to see how the colors would interact. One of our most interesting trials was combining cochineal with other dyes, like indigo and turmeric, to create new shades.

Process

Results

Recycling the dye into pigments

Recycling dye into pigments is an innovative process that allows artists and designers to repurpose natural dyes after their primary use, minimizing waste and promoting sustainability in creative practices. Below is a detailed exploration of the process, including filtration, precipitation, separation, and collection.

Filtration Is the first step in recycling dye into pigments. After the initial dyeing process, the leftover dye bath often contains undissolved plant material and other impurities. To recycle the dye, the liquid must be filtered to obtain a clean dye solution.

Process

After dyeingfabric,pour the dye bath through the filter to capture the solid plant material.For example, when using mallow flowers, filtering removes laftover petals and leves, leaving a clear dye solution that contains dissolved pigments.

Ingredients & Recipes

CochineaL

We mixed the liquid leftover from our cochineal dyeing process to recycle it into a pigment. First, we added alum to the liquid, which helped bind the color molecules and initiate the transformation. Then, we carefully stirred in washing soda, which caused a chemical reaction that began to solidify the color into a pigment. As the mixture settled, we observed a rich pink color forming. Once the process was complete, we filtered out the pigment, creating a beautiful pink color that we could use in future projects.

Indigo

We also experimented with indigo dye later on, exploring how to create pigments from the leftover dye bath. After finishing the fabric dyeing process, we collected the remaining indigo liquid and added alum, just as we did with the cochineal. As it settled, we noticed how the pigments separated from the liquid, forming a rich, earthy blue color. After filtering and drying the pigment, we had a new indigo pigment that carried the essence of natural dyeing, perfect for using in art or future experiments.

Result