4. BioChromes¶

BioChromes¶

_{Sasha Duerr, Onion Skin}

Research & Ideation¶

When it comes to biochromes, there is no limit to my inspiration, from makers, dyers, artists. Natural dyeing has been used historically in Armenia as part of our carpet and rug weaving traditions. As I mentioned in week one, textile artists like Anni Albers and Gunta Stolzl are a great inspiration of mine, who have used naturally dyed fibers for their textile art. However, this week I want to focus on contemporary artists and there are three who have continuously been a source of inspiration for me.

Sasha Duerr¶

The first book that I ever bought to learn natural dyeing techniques was Sasha Duerr’s “Natural Colour” and I feel lucky to have done so. Duerr, in my opinion, has a special talent in extracting pigments, from anything and everything natural. Her colors are especially vibrant and her approach- a little different. In her book “Natural Color” Duerr takes you on a seasonal journey, as she shares her recipes and teaches you dyeing techniques. This approach has become central to my work, when it comes to natural color. When we think of sustainability, especially when working with whole dye materials, seasonality is key.


_{Sasha Duerr, Seasonal Color Wheel}	_{Sasha Duerr, Fall Color Palette}

Aboubakar Fofana¶

Indigo blue is of course a favourite color of mine from the natural palette. The process of fermenting an indigo vat and then using it holds so much magic, that from the first moment you work with indigo, you become hooked. I cannot think or speak of indigo, without thinking of Aboubakar Fofana. His mastery is unmistakable. His philosophy and approach to the natural dye process is something I can relate to greatly. In his own words “While the fundamentals remain true to their origins, I have evolved the practice to include more contemporary applications, making it relevant in today’s world. From raw materials to finished pieces, each creation is both a tribute to history and an exploration of what’s possible.” I believe that it is by respecting traditional (ancestral) techniques, yet having a contemporary approach that ultimately keeps natural dyeing alive today. Fofana has and is reviving African traditoinal natural dye processes, as unfortunately so many techniques have been lost due to industrialisation and synthetic dyes.

_{Aboubakar Fofana, Tente moustiquaire, Fleuve Niger, Mali}


_{Aboubakar Fofana, Les arbres à bleus, 2012}	_{Aboubakar Fofana, Ka Touba Farafina Yé (Africa Blessing), 2017}

As many of you would agree, natural colors are experienced differently to synthetic colors. Once you start working with nature’s palette, you no longer experience color the same way as you did before. Natural dyeing, extraction of pigments slows you down. You have to come up close and personal with each fiber that you immerse in a dye pot. You start to discover shades that you didn't notice before. I believe experiencing color is a thing of its own. Color is emotional. Color is all around us, all the time, even when we dream.

Shihoko Fukumoto¶

Fukumoto works primarily with indigo, integrating Japanese textile traditions, with a contemporary approach. She uses (and is a master of) shibori resist dye. Through the years she started working with a Japanese traditional textile called Tsushima hemp, a fiber that weaves both hemp and cotton together. In Tsushima, a remote part of Japan, this fabric was traditionally grown and woven by each family, for the family. It would therefore have a specific length, width and weave characteristic. As Fukumoto describes “A single piece of cloth reveals both the natural and the human worlds, and indeed history itself.”

As she dismantles these traditional “yamagimon” (a garment woven from the Tsushima hemp and worn by the working folk), she then uses them to dye and create new work, giving them a new life. As described in ARTCOURT Gallery website (author not specified) the “Rich graduations of blues, that glow forth from the soft cloth as if through transparent depths — Shihoko Fukumoto's indigo is spacious and serene. Surely it is just such a vast blue space as this that envelops us all, enticing us from pale white light down into hidden depths of darkness. Fukumoto's work contains the beauty of a time-space continuum beyond the grasp of science, and elicits in us an instinctively natural response.”


_{Shihoko Fukumoto, Moon series, Indigo is the Color of My Dreams, 2010}

_{Shihoko Fukumoto, Lake, Pinaple Fibre Indigo Dye, 2002}

Equipment¶

Stainless steel pots
Gas burner or hot plate
Thermometer
Tongs
Mesh strainer or cheesecloth
Buckets
Rubber gloves
pH strips
Wooden spoons (for mixing)
Measuring spoons (preferably stainless steel)
Scale
Glass jars
Mini whisk
Labeling material
Face mask (if working with fine powders such as aluminium acetate)

_{Photo from A Verb for Keeping Warm}

Scour Equipment¶

pH neutral soap
Soda ash (sodium carbonate)
Synthropol, Orvus paste, Unicorn power scour (if available)
Washing tubs (for rinsing)

Tannins¶

Oak galls (high in tannins and light in color)
Pomegranate rinds (will add a yellow color)
Myrobalan (high in tannins with warm hue)
Tea leaves (easily accessible and mild in tannins)

Mordants¶

Alum (Potassium aluminum sulfate)
Aluminum Acetate (for cellulose fibres)
Symplocos (natural mordant)

Process and workflow¶

_{Photo by Svetlana Khachatryan, Marigold swatches}

To keep colors flowing this week, I decided to work with several different fibers. So, to begin with I cut out some celulose (unbleached cotton, unbleached linen, cotton muslin) and some protein fibers (a skein of local wool, Tussar silk & Indonesian silk), as well as some silk viscose. This way, we would achieve different hues and be able to compare and of certainly admire!

Everything of course starts with measuring the Weight Of Fiber (WOF).

_{Linen- 310g}
_{Cotton- 650g}
_{Wool Skein- 350g}
_{Cotton Muslin- 65g}
_{Tussar Silk- 22g}
_{Indonesian Silk- 45g}
_{Silk Viscose- 130g}

Scour¶

To scour the fibres I divided them to the number of pots that I had. I have four large stainless steel pots and I had to make sure that my fibers can move freely in the pot.

Protein fibres went into two of the pots, as they are both temperature sensitive and it's best advised not to use Soda Ash when scouring proteins. I did give the skein of wool a pot of its own, since from experience I knew that I may need to scour it twice. Armenian wool is rough and usually used for weaving carpets, and they do not come very clean. The two types of silk that I had were scoured with the silk viscose, as, to my conviction, silk viscose is neither cellulose nor protein and is too temperature sensitive. It will not shrink or felt like wool, or just get destroyed like pure silks do, but when they are hot and you stir the pot to get an even scour, they do become sensitive to the touch of the tong or wooden spoon that you may be using.

For scouring protein fibres I used half a teaspoon of Unicorn Scour Power liquid (it’s very strong). To begin with I filled the pot with room temperature water to not offend the sensitive folks that were going to go into the pot. Scour power was mixed in a jar of hot water then poured into the pot and stirred again. Then the fibres went in. If you haven’t soaked your fibres prior to putting it in the pot, it's best to not push them down. Wait a little and slowly submerge it. You see why this process is slow (and beautiful)? I raised the temperature slowly to about 60-65C and kept it there, checking every 15-20 min, for about two hours. My advice is to let it cool down on its own. It’s both dangerous to pull out hot fibres from a pot, as you may burn yourself, but also protein fibres will not like the sudden change in temperature.

In brief:

½ tsp scour power liquid
Room temperature water
Raise to 60-65C
Keep for 2h (check temp every 15-20 min)
Let cool down

Cellulose fibres are a little less tricky, as they are not as sensitive to temperature. I mixed a tablespoon of Soda Ash to a jar of hot water, stirred it well so that everything is dissolved (you don’t want grains to stay, as they can stick to your fibre and you will have an uneven scour- aka an uneven dye). Filled the pot with water and added the Soda Ash mix. I also used some pH neutral soap. Since my soap is a hard soap, I usually turn it in the water about 3 times. (My pot is 30L). Added the fibres to the pot and raised the temperature to 80-85C and kept it there for about 2 hours. Like Protein fibres, I like to allow the cellulose fibres to gradually cool down. You can just leave the lid half open.

When the pots had cooled down, both the skein of wool, the cotton and the linen needed a second scour, since the water was quite yellow. You need to make sure that your water is clear. So, a light rinse and repeat!

Tannin¶

For cellulose fibres to bind with mordants and then dyes, we need to bathe them in tannin baths first. To make a tannin bath I used 7% WOF Oak Gall Powder. I mixed it in a jar (or two) with hot water and let it sit for about 30 min, stirring it occasionally. Once the tannin was ready, I strained it through a cheesecloth and poured the liquid into a fresh pot of water. I the added the cellulose fibres and raised the temperature to about 50C. Turned it off, stirring occasionaly and let it stay overnight for a stronger bond. The next day I gave it a light rinse and my fibres were ready to be mordanted!

Note: It is usually advised to use 10-15% WOF of Oak Gall tannin, however, I was planning on using natural dyes that are already rich in tannins, so I decided to use 7%.

_{Photo by Svetlana Khachatryan, Brewing Gall nut powder}

Mordant¶

When it comes to using mordants, I do like to use Aluminum Acetate for cellulose fibres and Alum for protein fibres. However, Aluminum Acetate is not available in Armenia and even though I usually cannot resist and order it from abroad, I had ran out of my supply! Alum on the other hand is widely available and affordable, and since my cellulose fabrics had been bathed in tannin, it was safe to use Alum and expect great results. I used Alum at 8% WOF, by mixing it in a jar of hot water and then adding to a pot of water, then added the fibres that we were going to dye.

I did mix it up and instead of using 10-15% of WOF I used 8%, as you would with aluminum acetate, but I had been working on all this with a broken finger from the day before and well, mistakes happen.. So to be on the safe side, if you’re reading this and want to use the recipe, use alum at 10-15% WOF.

Once the fibres are in, it’s important to stir it every 15-20 minutes, to make sure that 1) all the bubbles come out, 2) you get an even mordant. Raise the temperatures to about 60C and keep for about 2h, followed by an overnight cool. Give it a light rinse and you are finally ready to dye!

_{Photo by Svetlana Khachatryan, Mordanting Wool}

Preparing Dye Baths¶

For this week’s assignment, I was excited to use local, seasonal, whole dye stuff. It is the perfect season for walnut hulls, pomegranate skins and red onions. I had also gathered some marigold over the summer, which yield the most beautiful yellows and golds and are still in bloom in most regions at the moment! The only dye that I decided to also incorporate that was not of this season was Armenian madder roots. The most special Armenian traditional dye is, of course, vordan karmir (a bug that is very similar to cochineal), which is now an endangered species unfortunately. However, madder roots are so widely available and yield such beautiful pinks and oranges and reds, but in my eyes they are often overlooked. For me, Armenian madder roots are the queen of the local dyes.

_{Photo by Svetlana Khachatryan, Swatches dyed with red onion skins}

Ingredients¶

- 120 gr madder root
- 40g gr red onion skins
- 200 gr pomegranate rinds
- 150 gr walnut hulls
- 42 gr marigold

_{Photo by Svetlana Khachatryan, Fresh Walnut Hulls}

In stainless steel pots put your whole dye stuff and fill the pot with water. Put it on the electric or gas hob and slowly raise the temperature to 60-65C. Natural dyes tend to dull if you boil them. It is better to keep it at this temperature for a long period of time.

Madder roots are especially temperature sensitive. If you raise the temperature higher than 65-70C, you will start to yield brown pigments and dull the color.

When using whole dye stuff, it is advised to use 100% WOF. However, as Sara Buscaglia suggests in her book “Farm & Folk Quilt Alchemy”, you can use up to 200% WOF to yield deeper and brighter colors!

We kept the temperature varying from 60-70C for about 2 hours. It is also important to allow the dyes to cool down slowly, which we did by leaving them overnight. Once the dyes were extracted, we used a cheeseclothe and a mesh spatula to take out the roots, peels, rinds etc. We did save them separately, to experiment later and make biomaterials.

_{Photo by Svetlana Khachatryan, A Pot of Marigold Dye and Swatches}

Once your dyes are ready, you can add your scoured-mordanted and pre-wetted fibres and slowly raise the temperature to 60-65C, keeping it there for about 2 hours, stirring occasionaly. This is probably the most magical moment, as you watch your fibres and nature's color bind together!

_{Video by Lilit Barseghyan, Marigold at 160% WOF}

To yield deep shades, it's best to leave the fibres to steep overnight in the dye baths and slowly cool down. You can then take them out and rinse them. From my experience, it's best to give it a light rinse and let it dry.

_{Photo by Svetlana Khachatryan, Swatches Dyed w/ Madder Roots}

_{Photo by Svetlana Khachatryan, Swatches Dyed w/ Marigold (yellows), Red Onion Skin (greens)}

_{Photo by Svetlana Khachatryan, Swatches Dyed w/ Pomegranate rinds, and a skein of wool dyed with madder roots}

_{Photo by Svetlana Khachatryan, Swatches dyed eith madder roots and chalk bath}

_{Photo by Svetlana Khachatryan, Gentle shades of the walnut hulls on cellulos and protein fibres}

Documenting experiments¶

Chalk Bath¶

_{Photo by Svetlana Khachatryan, Madder Roots}

After the fabrics that had been in madder root dye bath were lightly rinsed, we made a chalk bath using 5g of chalk mixed with water. We then submerged some of the fabrics to observe the shift in color.

_{Photos by Svetlana Khachatryan, Madder Root Dye modofocation with chalk bath}

Results¶

_{Photo by Svetlana Khachatryan, Madder Roots}

_{On the left is the swatch of madder roots and on the right you can see how the colors have shifted after the chalk dye bath.}

_{Image 1, Madder Roots without modification}

_{Image 2, Madder Roots with and without modification}

_{Photos by Svetlana Khachatryan}

In image one you can see madder root dye without any modficiation. From the left - cotton, linen, silk viscose, Tussar silk, Indonesian silk.

In image two it is alternating. Every other fabric is modified with a chalk bath. From the left- cotton+madder, cotton+madder+chalk, linen+madder, linen+madder+chalk and so on and so forth. The last swatch, on the far right, which is the Indonesian silk, has not undergone this experiment.

Notice how the colors shift in different lightings as well! Natural dyes are usually camera shy and tend to show off different hues in different lighting. So much depth!

Iron Bath¶

We also modified the colors using an Iron bath. We used 3g of Ferrous Sulfate, by diluting it in a jar of hot water then adding to a stainless steel bucket filled with warm water. When working with Iron powder, it's best not to leave your fibres immersed in the bath for longer than 10-15 minutes, as it can damage the fibre. For silks and wool, you must be especially careful!

Pomegranate Rinds¶

_{Pomegranate rinds, 100% WOF, from the left- cotton, cotton muslin, linen, silk viscose, Tussar silk, Indonesian silk, Indonesian silk with iron, linen with iron, cotton with iron.}

_{Pomegranate rinds at 100% WOF with 2g iron bath, dipped for about 5 minutes. From the left- cotton, linen, Indonesian silk}

_{Photos by Svetlana Khachatryan}

Marigold¶

_{Marigold, 160% WOF, from the left- cotton, linen, silk viscose, Tussar silk, Indonesian silk, Tussar silk with iron, linen with iron, cotton muslin with iron.}

In this image both swatches are of Tussar silk. The one on the left is marigold at 160% WOF and the one on the right is marigold modified with iron powder. Beautiful shades of gold started coming out with the iron modification.

Red Onion Skin¶

_{Red Onion Skins, 88% WOF, from the left- cotton, cotton muslin, linen, Tussar silk, Indonesian silk, silk viscose}

_{Red Onion Skins, 88% WOF, from the left- cotton, cotton muslin, linen, Tussar silk, Indonesian silk, silk viscose, silk viscose with iron, linen with iron}

_{Photos by Svetlana Khachatryan}

Walnut Hulls¶

_{Walnut Hulls, from the left- cotton with iron, , linen with iron, Indonesian silk with iron, linen, cotton muslin, Indonesian silk, Tussar silk}

The walnut hulls yielded very gentle colors and what was surprising was the pink tones on the silks. We used 150g of hulls, however, we didn't give the hulls enough time and space to extract the full potential of the pigment. However, this was an experiment and the results are beautiful. We dyed only 20g of fibre.

_{Photos by Svetlana Khachatryan}

The results¶

_{Photos by Svetlana Khachatryan}

And here is the full spectrum of all the colors achieved this week. From Madder (in all its glory) to marigold, to red onion skins, to pomegranate skins to walnut hulls!

_{Photos by Svetlana Khachatryan}

Recycling the dye into pigments¶

Lake Pigment¶

_{Photo by Svetlana Khachatryan}

We used our leftover marigold dye to create lake pigment, as this was everyone's favorite!

We measured 400ml of the dye and poured it into a glass jar. It was warm so there was no need to heat it up again.

We measured and added 5-10g of Alum and stirred! Well, Mariam stirred! Once this was settled we added 5-10g of Soda Ash. It started to foam from the reaction! Exciting! We then stirred and checked the pH, which was neutral.

Using a coffee filter we slowly started pouring the liquid into a new jar. This took a while (almost a whole day). Whatever was left on the filter was our pigment. We needed to let it dry to become a fine powder. This was the first time I was making a lake pigment and it was so easy and beautiful that I regret not always recycling my leftover dyes in this way. Something to look forward to in the future.

_{Photos by Svetlana Khachatryan}

I actually used this pigemnt to write (technically paint) on some papers to annotate the fabrics I was photogrphing. As the pigment had had no time to dry, and since they are not water soluble, I used some Gum tragacanth, which I had diluted in water.

I also tested it on some watercolor papaer and it worked beautifully!

_{Photos by Svetlana Khachatryan}