4. BioChromes

RESEARCH & IDEATION

Are you aware when your dreams come true? In Islam, Haqq al-Yaqin (حق اليقين) is certainty of truth gained through direct experience. It is conviction so affirmed, it becomes an intrinsic determining factor in all you do, strengthening the stance of the heart, transcending intellect and sight. This heightened awareness of experience is vibrant, alive and transformative, the highest form of wisdom within this spiritual system.

Week 4’s lecture & workshop, “Biochromes”, deepened my love affair with natural dyes, a source of peace and affirmation within my personal and professional journey’s. The chemical reactions & biological makeup of minerals, plants, incests, roots, wood and bacteria for dye and lake pigment utilizing mordants and modifiers is a deeply familiar + beloved territory.

References & Inspiration

I am my own reference this week, as my relationship to dyes has fundamentally aligned intentional aspirations of the future and restorative values of the past. While researching logwood during initial stages of experimentation, I discovered it's history of mercantilism and colonization navigated the movement of my ancestors toward our land of Belize, Central America. This nuanced reality of chemistry's intrinsic connection to culture through trade informed my pilgrimage in the Autumn 2022-Winter 2023, where I conducted field research to locate, process and extract this hardwood. The dye from logwood is hematoxylin (C16H14O), extracted by boiling chips in water. Oxidation instigates the stages of color production; my research can be found here on ⤷ NOON's website.

There are innovators that have paved for alternative dye use from a biologically grown perspective, including the iconic Maison Martin Margiela during his 1997 show in The Netherlands, where he placed "agar-dipped looks on mannequins, upon which he misted mold, bacteria, and yeast with a plant sprayer. The preparation process took place seven days before the exhibition, in small greenhouses". Here, at Waag's Fabricademy under Ceclia Raspanti, we are continuing this legacy of exploration, innovation, experimentation and expression by learning the foundations of bacteria dye.

Resources

Bio-Dye Innovation
⤷ Bioshades Bacteria Dye Research, Amsterdam

⤷ Margiela's Microbiological Experiment at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam

⤷ Natsai Audrey Chieza on biophilic design, Amsterdam

Alternative Perspectives

⤷ Aboubakar Fofana on Botanical Colors

⤷ Indigenous critiques for Reclaiming Nature-Based Solutions Guardians of Mayan Knowledge and Traditions: Tz’utujil Women Dyers of San Juan La Laguna, Guatemala

⤷ The Chemistry of Clothing Dye

Process

1. DYES: for this days experiment, we used the following:

   • Weld : yellow, green, olive
   • Chinese Rhubarb: light brown, yellow
   • Marigold : yellow, green, orange
   • Safflower : baby pink, highlighter pink, yellow, orange
   • Coreopsis : yellow, organge, green
   • Campeche/Logwood : purple, black, grey, blue
   • Alkanet : range of purple/magenta/lavender
   • Black Beans : blue, green, greyish/slate
   • Indigo : light, medium, dark blue, green, black
   • Madder : reds, pinks, orange, brown - simmer roots at 60–70°C

2. SCOUR: deep cleaning of fibers to remove any oils, waxes, dirt, dust, and other invisible by-product that come from factories or farms that prevent dye molecules from attaching evenly. It’s the purification stage.

   • submerge your fabric and allow to simmer in hot [not boiling] water for 30 minutes to an hour, stir occasionally.

   • Use a 1tsp to 1L ratio of soda ash or sodium carbonate (cellulose fibers)

   • Use 1 tsp for your whole water ratio (protein fibers)

   • Use a ph neutral soap

Materials must be 100% cellulose or protein for natural dyes to authentically adhere to the material.

1. MORDANT: addition of a compound that binds dye to fiber. Allows color to sit deep and long. Water temperatures, pH and scouring agents vary depending on fiber. Plant fibers can simmer in the bath for a few hours. Protein fibers are sensitive to higher temperatures.

Material	Mordant	Weight of Fiber	Measurement
Wool	Potassium Aluminum Acetate	100g	10g
-------------	-------------	-------------	-------------
Cotton	Alumninum Sulfate, Sodium Carbonate	150g	50g, 25g

Mordanting Cotton with Triacetat¶ One liter of the mordant lasts for around 500–600 g WOF (weight of fiber). You can either buy triacetate as a mordant or prepare it youself. Since the second option is cheaper, we chose to prepare it ourselves. This mordant is suitable for cotton and linen but not for wool or silk.

Preparing the Triacetate solution

500 ml vinegar

50 g aluminium sulfate (usually used for gardening)

25 g sodium carbonate 99,7%

PH modifiers (produces reactions to change colour, shade + hue):

• Acidic [ 0-6 ] : vinegar or lemon juice (orange or yellow tones)

• Neutral [ 7 ] : standarizes aspect of whichever color you are using

• Alkaline [ 8-14 ]: soda ash (various shades)

• Copper (blue tones)

• Iron (dark hues, orange and blue tones)

With Mordants and Modifiers, it is important to note that the pH is either becoming more acidic, alkaline or neutralized.

TIP: we used a dash [quarter of a spoon] of cream of tarter for our wool within the mordant processes, as it maintains the shine, which can get lost in the washing process.

1. DYES:

Each plant behaves differently, but the general principle:

Extract : Chop or crush plant material.

Release : Simmer gently (60–90°C) for 30–90 minutes.

Filter : Strain through muslin or fine mesh.

Merge : Return the extracted liquid to the pot for dyeing.

• You can use fresh or dried plants. Dried are more consistent; fresh have more vitality

Each of the dyes followed the same process; weighing out the fabrics, proportioning the right amount of dye for the fabrics, and then boiling the dye in water for an hour. After mordanting our fabric, the material should still be wet, unless going through the tri-acetate process, it must be completely dried in between mordanting and this secondary application process.

INDIGO

This process does not follow the same principles as the rest of the dyes, as it has to go through oxidization for the color to appear.

• In order to start we need 7g/1L which will get you a dark blue.

• Grind it with hot water. We followed the 1-2-3 method; 1=indigo, 2=calx hydroxide, 3=fructose

• Make an indigo paste (the “1”): In a small jar, mix powdered indigo with warm water to a smooth paste (no dry lumps). This helps the indigo disperse when added to the bath.

• Prepare the vat water & add alkali (the “3”): Fill your vat/container with warm (not boiling) water. Add the alkali (fructose, varies depending on recipe) and stir until dissolved. This raises pH so the indigo can reduce.

• Add indigo paste, then reducing agent (the “2”) : Stir the indigo paste into the vat. Then add the reducing agent calx hydroxide, in this case, slowly while stirring. The 1:2:3 guideline means roughly 1 part indigo : 2 parts reducer : 3 parts alkali (by weight) as a starting point — adjust to the product instructions and vat volume.

• Watch the vat reduce : The vat will go from blue → greenish → yellow-green as it reduces and oxygen is driven off. Let it rest (no more stirring) until the surface is a greenish, slightly oily film and the liquid beneath is clear-ish — this means the indigo is in its soluble leuco form.

• Dye by dipping & oxidize between dips: Submerge pre-wet fiber. wet fabric will look pale/green; expose it to air and watch it turn blue as it oxidizes. Repeat dips until you reach the depth of color you want (multiple short dips give smoother results than one long dip).

LAKE PIGMENT

BACTERIA DYE

BACTERIA: Janthiniumbacterium Lividium, Standard 1

• Stitch your fabric to make a pattern of your desire onto silk (sucha as shibori; make sure it is of vegetal or animal origin)

• Place petri dish in pressure cooker, or autoclave if you have access, to sterilize

• Use a portable camping gas fuse to create a sterile “dome” or “halo” to work around

• Sterilize your working area, tools and gloves with isopropyl alcohol/ethanol

• Swiftly open the petri with inoculated bacteria and swab

RESULTS

IRL:

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