"Ringing of the bells "
Time to start blogging about natural plant dyes from
Eucalyptus by Gondwana
Textiles
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| Some of the natural dye colours available from Eucalyptus using Gondwana Colour Dye |
Ring the bells that still
can ring
forget your perfect
offering
there is a crack in
everything
that's how the light gets
in
~Leonard Cohen
Start something today
Inspiration doesn’t sit around waiting
to be ‘happened’, it has to catch you at work. Time to get started on this
blog, a regular blog about my inspirations.
My inspiration for today – my blog.
How to start and when – that
has been the dilemma for about a year now - must it be a perfect offering
before the blog is published?
Well not any longer, let the
light in, I say. It might be that to accept that this blog will evolve over
time and, maintain the intent, to enjoy the process of interacting with a
diverse readership from across the world is the wisest way to start … being
prepared to be surprised by how people will interact with this blog.
About me
Does anyone really
want to know? You know, I don’t think I’m going to start here afterall, but to that say since my Masters of Visual Arts at Monash in 2006, Gondwana Textiles has been my passion, and Gondwana Colour is my baby.
So, I’ll talk about Gondwana
Colour.
This is my eucalyptus dye. I’ve been working on it for about 6
maybe 8 years. I’ve spoken about it at two international conferences, and each
time have declared that it will soon be on the market – just a few more tests
to run. Its now more than a year since I started working with scientists at
Southern Cross Plant Science at Southern Cross University in Lismore, with the
aim of sorting through a few of the mysteries of the raw material and the
process and turning the ‘kitchen practice’ into a small industry.
Can I ring the bells yet?
Is
Gondwana Colour the “perfect offering’.
Its unlikely that the testing
will ever be completed – there is always something just so, so interesting
around the corner. That’s what is so inspiring about the science of dyeing with
plants. Just when I think things are almost resolved, I take my tests along to
discuss with ‘my scientist’.
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| Jars with the liquor destined for Southern Cross Plant Science test lab |
Before long I find that he has been conducting some other
tests, reading other material. He has discovered all sorts of things about
tannins, flavonoids and anthocynins. He has been discovering that the wave
length of light from one of the components in the dye alters at a
certain temperature or point in time, or that there might be a mineral that is
effecting a certain hue in the dye.
Sometimes I understand,
sometimes I just nod and pretend to. Is there a crack, is the light getting in?
The benefit of working in collaboration with scientists is that I am learning
to appreciate the value of the scientific process, particularly the way results
are recorded.
So back to the drawing board.
Its extremely fascinating, but somewhere along the journey, I have to be
prepared to say that I am ready to release a product that will be of use and
interest to other dyers.
Are we there yet?
Well Almost, because its all about this
information. And its information that needs to go on the packaging or on a brochure to tell users
how it will give the best dyeing experience they can possibly get.
So that’s where I’m at today –
get that brochure done. I have to get it done, because this week some packages of
Gondwana Colour are going to China to start a wonderful adventure with artist Caitlin Reilly. She's Gondwana Colour, on her 12 month residency with Shokay in China.
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| Susan Fell Mclean of Gondwana Textiles with Caitlin Reilly taking Gondwana Colour to China |
Caitlin will work on “Threaded” a collaborative project, between artists and
communities in Australia and China. This project will explore the cultural
heritage and modern experience of communities in both countries, which have at
their heart the production of fibers – yak down, in China and wool in
Australia. The company, SHOKAY, (translating to: ‘yak down’ in Tibetan), is the
world's first socially responsible textiles brand developing premium products
made from the superfine down of this unique animal. Perhaps Gondwana Colour
will feature in the future Yak fibres and fabrics from Shokay.
See the Shokay blog for e whole
story about Caitlin’s residency. http://www.shokay.com/blog/?p=429#.U1dT_-aSxLc
Back to Gondwana Textiles Blogs.
In these blogs I’ll let you into some secrets about the techniques I’m
employing, and dialogue about concepts around my work.
I’m intending to retrace some
of the testing that we have been doing here at Gondwana Textiles. This might
help to explain why its been taking so long to get the product onto the market
but it might also give readers inspiration.
In the pipeline too, is an
online line tutorial that will guide you through the process of getting on top
of your own natural dye experiments.
So wait for it ......
You will soon
be able to click here.
I am also working on 2 pieces for
the exhibition Synergy - Shibori Down Under - these pieces are plant dyed - Gondwana Colour of course. These are to be shown at Belconnen Art Centre in Canberra
before heading to Hangzhou for the International Shibori Symposium – more
about that next time.
I hope this Gondwana
Textiles blog is going to inspire your passion for contemporary and traditional textiles. Love to hear your responses.
until next time
until next time
Susan
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All photos, text and artwork on this site are the
property of Susan Fell Mclean
and may not be reproduced without written permission. Thank you.
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