Another day in paradise with our visiting botanical alchemist India Flint.
A few more students today make us a total of 15 on our first field trip.
The textile students regroup early to meet new members, gather notes, find a strip of silk to collect our physical objects, fallen leaves and branches, visual notes for colour that day and instructions for the design journey ahead.
Monday 21 Jan - Anniversary Day - We set off into the Nikau Reserve near Lindale. Under the canopy of ferns we are guided by our instincts and the unusual visual markers to remember the journey by as points of reference. Mapping the week has never been more fun!
Treated to a rich visual range of growth, layers and layers of biosystems, its hard to not stop continually to take photos and just capture it all!
Back to the classroom and into the vats of dyes, can't wait, it really does get you in the mode for testing and dipping samples. India has more natural dye and mordant mixes brewing and chances to explore the reactions of silk protein, plant life, Kapiti water, temperature, resist techniques and some pressure. By mid afternoon the classroom is a boiler room of concoctions! flagging the eletrical elements for a moment we partake of some Kapiti Fig and Honey ice cream, oh bliss and more silk and wool parcels to unwrap. Frozen flowers yield more tasty colour.
The pots are filled to capacity with all sorts of harakeke, onion skin, pohutakawa, nails and shibori wraps and the rest of the campus are beginning to wonder if we are throwing spells. Smaller dishes hold experimental mixtures. More pre loved garments submerged in eco coloured dyes to come back from their first life more beautiful and lustrous than ever.
Catching up quick on Tuesday, fast as I can the detour back to Porirua temporarily delays me. Then into town to Global Fabrics and Erica to purchase more silks for ongoing testing and sampling of yet more reactions to enlarge the scope of the exercise.
Heard Sir Edmund's funeral service on the radio and hearing his family talk of his character and enduring values makes today even more special.
So much to dye so little time... More help from India - how to, where to, what to, why to??
2 comments:
Thanks for the ice creams and strawberry champagne Deb. You spoil us. Having lovely India all to ourselves in some quiet moments have been highlights as have untying our bundles to see what secrets lie within. A nice walk along the Waikanae River to find a nice old piece of metal, now wrapped in an old cotton sheet soaked in salt water. I wonder what lovely marks will come of it all. So happy having a week to play with fabric with fellow textile-aholics. And tired, oh so tired after these long full days. A good kickstart to the year.
mmm the joys of simple kitchen chemistry...ashwater, iron teas, vinegar soaked coins and bucketloads of seawater. Kapiti has all the resources needed for brilliant colour, including a beautiful river nearby...
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