The revival of the ancient technique of printing with mordants and dyeing in bi-colourants to achieve contemporary poly-chromic designs

Conference Presentation


Wells, Kate and Churn, Kate 2018. The revival of the ancient technique of printing with mordants and dyeing in bi-colourants to achieve contemporary poly-chromic designs. NOVA University of Lisbon Campus Caparica / Caparica Portugal.
AuthorsWells, Kate and Churn, Kate
TypeConference Presentation
Abstract

This paper explores the creation of a range of sustainable patterned fabrics by employing various Bio-colorants (natural dyes) in combination with a range of mordants that have a lesser impact upon the environment to create a poly-chromatic design within single dyeing process.
Practice based research was undertaken into dyeing and printing with Madder, Logwood, Weld and Woad or Indigo in combination with a selection of mordants Alum, Copper Acetate, Iron Acetate and Tannins onto a range of fabric bases which includes the new regenerated fibres alongside traditional natural ones as a sustainable option (1, 2). Mordants that have been used from ancient times produce a pattern during the dyeing process. By looking at these historical (3, 4) and traditional applications (5) from across the globe, it was hoped that a more sustainable method of patterning either through printed (screen and block), stencilled or hand-painted techniques could be designed. According to Robinson (6): Pliny the Elder (AD 23-79), writing of the ancient Egyptians, stated that, ‘Garments are painted in Egypt in a wonderful manner, the white clothes being first coated, not with colours but with drugs which absorb the colours. Although the dyeing liquid is one colour, the garment is dyed several colours according to the different properties of the drugs which have been applied to the different parts: nor can this be washed out’ It is thought that this passage was describing madder dye alongside as the various mordants – alum, iron salts and copper salts as they were known at that time (7). Since this ancient time, the application of natural dyes evolved over the centuries into an advanced form of dyeing as this was only form of permanently colouring fabrics until the advent of synthetic dyes by Perkins in 1856. The ‘Art of Dyeing’ became a highly secretive and protected practice with the formation of Dyers Guilds from the 14th c. The technique of the application of different mordants to create more than one colour evolved within the Far East employed initially to produce the ‘Indienne mania’ (Chintz) madder dyed calicos of the 17th c. and 18th c. and later with the development of ‘Turkey Red’ prints, the secrete of which remained undisclosed until the late 18th c. (7).
(1) Garcia. 2012, Natural Dye Workshop: Colors Of Provence Using Sustainable Methods, London: Studio Galli.
(2) Dean, J, & Casselman, K. 1999, Wild Colour, London: Mitchell Beazley. (3) Bird. 1875. The Dyers Handbook. USA.
(4) Hummel, J.J. 1885. The Dyeing of Textile Fabrics. London: Cassell & Company Ltd
(5) Bilgrami, N. 1990. Singh jo Ajrak. Pakistan: Department of Culture and Tourism Government of Sindh.
(6) Robinson, S. 1969. A History of Dyed Textiles, London: W & J Makckay & Co Ltd.
(7) Chenciner, R. 2001. Madder Red: A History of Luxury and Trade. Richmond: Cuzon Press.
(8) Storey, J. 1992 The Thames and Hudson Manual of Textile Printing. London: Thames and Hudson.

KeywordsBio-colorants, Natural dyes, Mordants, Textile Design, Sustainable.
Year2018
PublisherNOVA University of Lisbon Campus Caparica / Caparica Portugal
Web address (URL)http://hdl.handle.net/10545/623818
http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
hdl:10545/623818
File
File Access Level
Open
File
File Access Level
Open
File
File Access Level
Open
File
File Access Level
Open
File
File Access Level
Open
Publication dates25 Oct 2018
Publication process dates
Deposited06 Jun 2019, 15:17
Accepted25 Oct 2018
Rights

CC0 1.0 Universal

ContributorsUniversity of Derby
Permalink -

https://repository.derby.ac.uk/item/951w4/the-revival-of-the-ancient-technique-of-printing-with-mordants-and-dyeing-in-bi-colourants-to-achieve-contemporary-poly-chromic-designs

Download files


File
license.txt
File access level: Open

license_rdf
File access level: Open

DHA37 poster Katie Churn.pdf
File access level: Open

DHA37 Snapshot- Katie Churn.pdf
File access level: Open

  • 100
    total views
  • 101
    total downloads
  • 1
    views this month
  • 2
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

Bio-colours sustainable colour: Material, colour and patterning, choice for textiles that can have a positive impact on our well-being.
Wells, Kate and Greger, Ness 2018. Bio-colours sustainable colour: Material, colour and patterning, choice for textiles that can have a positive impact on our well-being.
Digital warp blue part of silken threads exhibition
Wells, Kate 2014. Digital warp blue part of silken threads exhibition.
Barcode I, II, III
Wells, Kate 2014. Barcode I, II, III.
Digital warp blue
Wells, Kate 2015. Digital warp blue.
Shibori: digital intervention
Wells, Kate 2020. Shibori: digital intervention.
The emerging evidence of a time through the emergence of an image through time: a correlation between the early photographic imaging processes anthotypes and natural dyes
Wells, Kate, Jackson, Jane and Pearson, Emily 2015. The emerging evidence of a time through the emergence of an image through time: a correlation between the early photographic imaging processes anthotypes and natural dyes.
A design journey across time and five nations
Wells, Kate 2019. A design journey across time and five nations.
Itajime: digital intervention
Wells, Kate 2019. Itajime: digital intervention. The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.
Solar patterning: The employment of fast and fugitive colorants via the historical: anthotype, cyanotype and leuco vat: Solar dye patterning processes.
Wells, Kate 2018. Solar patterning: The employment of fast and fugitive colorants via the historical: anthotype, cyanotype and leuco vat: Solar dye patterning processes.
Fabrica-tactilis, skilful production, structure - Fabric that may be touched, tangible
Wells, Kate and Poundall, Robyn 2014. Fabrica-tactilis, skilful production, structure - Fabric that may be touched, tangible.
Itajime gasuri: digital warps
Wells, Kate 2014. Itajime gasuri: digital warps. World Shibori Network.
Solar patterning: The employment of fast and fugitive colorants via Anthotype, Cyanotype and other photographic techniques.
Wells, Kate and Greger, Ness 2016. Solar patterning: The employment of fast and fugitive colorants via Anthotype, Cyanotype and other photographic techniques. Progress in Colour Studies (PICS).
Sustainable solar surface decoration: the correlation between Anthotype principles with plant extractions as a form of eco-patterning for fabrics
Wells, Kate and Greger, Ness 2016. Sustainable solar surface decoration: the correlation between Anthotype principles with plant extractions as a form of eco-patterning for fabrics. The Textile Institute.
Cyanotype and Anthotype: Eco-patterning with mineral and natural dyes
Wells, Kate 2015. Cyanotype and Anthotype: Eco-patterning with mineral and natural dyes. Proceedings of the 3rd International Textiles & Costume Congress - ITCC 2015.
‘Invent-re-invent Itajime: digital board clamping’
Wells, Kate 2013. ‘Invent-re-invent Itajime: digital board clamping’. Kasetsart University.
The creative use of salt shrinking and de-gumming of silk as a patterning technique
Wells, Kate 2013. The creative use of salt shrinking and de-gumming of silk as a patterning technique.
The creative use of salt shrinking and de-gumming of silk as a patterning technique
Wells, Kate 2013. The creative use of salt shrinking and de-gumming of silk as a patterning technique. Kasetsart University Press.
Colour, health and wellbeing: the hidden qualities and properties of natural dyes
Wells, Kate 2013. Colour, health and wellbeing: the hidden qualities and properties of natural dyes. Journal of the International Colour Association.
Fabric dyeing and printing
Wells, Kate 2000. Fabric dyeing and printing. Conran Octopus Limited.
More than Nature's colours
Wells, Kate 2013. More than Nature's colours.
The Dyers' craft: resist patterned textiles
Hann, Michael and Wells, Kate 2000. The Dyers' craft: resist patterned textiles. The University Gallery, Leeds.
More than Nature's colours
Wells, Kate 2013. More than Nature's colours.