Indigo blue represents space, time and relations for me, by building connections with people from around the world since its discovery. It creates relationships without borders. It generates a common ground, a talking point. It brings the past´s knowledge to the present and builds timeless bonds. No matter if the blue comes from the European woad or the Indian Indigofera. Indigo blue is the bridge between us that creates a fellowship.
It will be my seventh year (2022) growing woad and Japanese indigo and ever since I have been exploring the possibilities that the plant and the pigment provides. It´s a blue gold, a precious matter that makes you feel like an alchemist travelling through time. I would like to share this experience in the form of the creations that were inspired by the indigo blue.
I use various processes to test how widely the pigment can be applied. I push boundaries and mix techniques. I try to think outside the box.
This thought trail created the indigo resin, where I use the pigment that I extracted from the plants to create resin jewellery or decorations.
While the growing and the extracting is a time-consuming process it has given me the opportunity to explore accidental art when a jar gets spilled. The high value of it gives the motivation to use every drop. Some of my pictures were inspired by this moment.
I also like to use more traditional techniques, like Shibori on fabric to create patterns or tatakizome to preserve the form of leaves by pounding them into the fibres. The twist I like to add is when I alter the nature-created forms and I cut leaves up before pounding them.
Light and shadow play in the morning sun
