Application to AiRborne supported by House for an Art Lover Kathy Becket- Colour-Ecology www.kathybeckett.co.uk www.colour-ecology.co.uk kathrynalicebeckett@gmail.com Colour-Ecology is a project dedicated to research in how the production of pigments, dyes and colour can affect our environment. The blog www.colour-ecology.co.uk, has been set up to document the process that I as a textile practitioner am going through as I explore more sustainable and environmentally sound options. Having recently received a small grant of £500 from Art’s Trust Scotland for my current project Colour-Ecology I am looking for further opportunities to engage different communities in ColourEcology’s work and ideas. It would be a fantastic opportunity to create part of this project under the guidance of the AiRborne program, as the project naturally explores a few of the programme's themes. Colour-Ecology covers Art & Horticulture by its initial roots. The project has begun by planting up to thirty different plant species that will yield colour in different ways, thus creating a renewable resource for dyeing textile fibers. I am currently looking for a variety of locations to plant these species, which largely include flowering perennials. Cultivating a selection of these plants at Bellahouston park would give a diverse access to the project. I currently have space in my own garden and potentially in some community garden spaces. Using such a public space as Bellahouston would truly enhance the potential to engage a wider audience. The work of Colour-Ecology naturally covers the theme of Art, Environment & Sustainability. My aim with this project is to assist my creative practice in caring for, working with and relying on Nature. By actively working in tune with Nature my practice is becoming more sustainable. Although natural dyeing is not necessarily the solution to industrial scale chemical dyeing, exploring it will act as a vehicle for discussion on the topic of chemical dyeing, in hope to raise awareness about some issues (please see my talk 'The Cost of Colour' http://vimeo.com/62910266). Since starting the project I have given my practice creative limitations; to use only Scottish or re-claimed wool (to reduce transport emissions), to naturally dye this wool myself or use un-dyed wool (to emit pollution of water and soil) and, to take responsibility for the existence of the work – once it has been created it must serve a purpose in the world to justify its creation. Natural dyes have also been traced back for more than 5000 years. I have been particularly interested in the work of Jean Fraser who has curated many known traditional Scottish natural dye recipes, which I actively use to dye my fibers. The work therefore also covers Arts& Heritage. I look forward to teaching people about some beautiful techniques that our ancestors have used. By exploring these themes, I hope to engage as many people as possible with the principles of Colour-Ecology. I anticipate that by engaging in environmental issues in a positive and pro-active way I will inspire others to do so to. Below I have outlined how I might deliver my ideas and principles.
Preliminary - May through June Install and nurture a garden of dye plants that will act as a renewable resource for the project. I am currently on a permaculture Design Course and intend to use Permaculture principles in order to design how the garden will look and work. While the residency is 2 or 3 months long, this project requires forward planning in order to harvest the plants and use them in September/October. I am happy to work on the garden for this time period and for the residency period to start in July, if this suits House for an Art Lover. If it is not possible to have some space on location then I will be cultivating the plants elsewhere anyway.
Stage 1 - July Residency period begins. Throughout July I will document the growth of the plants. Film SLR photography, observation drawing and microscopic photography will help to document the varying species coherently and creatively. I would also like to invite members of the public to join me in these exercises so that they can actively participate in the project and understand it fully. For each month I am in residence I would like to invite the public to join me for a day or two of workshops to increase the visibility of the project. By observing the plants there will also be opportunity to learn about their properties.
Stage 2 - August Throughout August I will develop the drawing work created in July, including use of public work. I will create patterns and knitted/printed fabric designs that directly utilise material and drawings from Stage 1. Again I would like to invite the public to be involved in the process by potentially setting up a pop-up design studio in Bellahouston.
Stage 3 – September I will continue to develop design work explored in Stage 2 and begin to generate textile samples. By late September some plants should be ready to harvest and again I will invite the public to be involved with this process. We can harvest the plants together and then dye textile fibers to use with the designs we have developed. Participants can also bring any natural fabrics or items (including sticks and pebbles) that they wish to dye themselves. Following this workshop I will then develop a large scale knitted/printed fabric with the design work and dyed yarns from previous stages. This fabric would be upto 10 metres long and 60sm wide, lavishly illustrating the potential of natural dyeing and the contributions from public participants. I will also generate an educational document or presentation that is accessible to young people that might be exhibited alongside the piece. This residency would allow the project Colour-Ecology to flourish. The support of such a time would be extremely valuable to the development of the project and also allow me time as an emerging artist to truly focus on my work. The link with House for and Art Lover would also give great opportunity to work with visitors and public this increasing the community engagement of the project.For more insight into the project Colour-Ecology please visit the blog (www.colourecology.co.uk) where I am beginning to post regularly.