Beautiful Silks Workshops presents: Natural Dye Symposium 2012

''Nature's Colours in the City"

June 27th - July 11th 2012

Download the calendar so you can print it- here

In late June and early  July 2012, Marion Hera-Gorr will bring together a group of artisans skilled in the use of natural dyes for a symposium at Beautiful  Silks in Melbourne's inner city Fitzroy. Nature's Colours in the City will cover natural dyeing the ancient arts, across  fibre,  fabric, paint and paper to experiments with local leaves and vegetation. There will be classes, lectures and demonstrations,  tours,  networking and displays.

The idea largely sprang  from the direction  in which Marion's business, to use her word, is  curving. "People want more  of the natural dye experience. And we  are curving the business more to  follow our ethics of doing the  least harm to the environment, to spread the  idea that natural  dyeing is not only possible but it is simple and you can  do it  without polluting water. Water is a big concern of mine."

Marion visits her suppliers in China and India to  ensure the  products she purchases for her business are produced sustainably, in  workplaces that treat the workers and the  environment with respect. "If the  environment is heavily polluted and if there are pesticides  you cannot grow silk. It requires the human beings and the  industry to look after the environment."

Back in Australia  she sees a  growing environmental ethic, and an increased interest in natural dyes. "People like the effect of the natural dye. They like the softer dye and the fact it is random and individual, so it makes a statement about them beyond what buying something off the shelf that is synthetically dyed does."

Her interest is wider than the natural dyes, and disposal of waste water, and extends to conservation, the wise use of materials, and using every scrap.

India Flint will be taking some beginner workshops on Dyeing Mixed Textiles and Eco-printing and dyeing a scarf.

Marion raised her plan with India over a glass of herbal tea. India said she replied "that is a really good idea, having been to a couple of these things overseas, Hyderabad and the most recent one in France". Both were ISEND (International Symposium and Exhibition of Natural Dyes) events, attracting hundreds of participants. Marion advertised her event as a Southern Hemisphere follow-on event to both ISEND events.

India observed the Hyderabad conference "had a big emphasis on industrial practice. It was in India and loaded with Indian industrialists and the French one was heavy on the archaeology and traditional stuff.

Marion's event is aimed more at people who want to get their hands into the stuff.

She is creating a gathering of people coming together to teach in one patch.

India, who teaches workshops around the world, said the interest in natural dyes is huge ,it is astonishing. It is quite wonderful. The more people who are boiling up a gum leaf rather than filling themselves with toxic nasties, the better. She is hoping there will be an emphasis on bioregional plants, or Australian indigenous plants rather than imported dyes.

Velma Bolyard will share opening night honours with Janet de Boer. Velma will teach the Japanese art of shifu, or papermaking. The work will take place in what she calls the ecotone, the edge.. the place where we will transform a piece of kozo or lokta by blade, spindle, and pigment into a textile. [Kozo is paper made from the Paper Mulberry, Lokta is paper made from the Lokta or daphne bush.]

Aukje Boonstra, from Tasmania, will take a workshop on using mordants and plant dyes. She has been working for years on sustainable projects, Marion said. On a visit to China, Marion observed the use of the outer gummy part of the silk cocoon to filter water, and Aukje will be testing the silk filters to see if they really do work during her waste to wearable redye re colour workshop

Trace Willans will take a workshop on making what she calls DIY paints, with ingredients that mostly come from the kitchen. Trace is a very congruent human being in her practices and her life, what she wears, how she does things. It is her absolute passion to get the work out and show people what they can do with products that don't harm anything or anyone, Marion said.

Ilka White and Mary Zbierski-West, both from RMIT, will be talking about ancient dyes, and dyeing with spices.

Philomena Hali will do tannic rust dyeing.

Roz Hawker will show people how to dye fine thread and stitch fine things. Lindy Frayne will be the sole feltmaker. She is a fine, fine, fine felter, Marion said. She eco-dyes her cloth and wool tops and with it, she can felt: alternatively she can also felt and then dye.

Asa Wahlquist will be taking a workshop on dyeing wool yarn and knitting traditional fair isle and designing intarsia patterns with naturally-dyed wool. I have been travelling to learn the source of these ancient patternings. During my workshop we will discuss the manifestation of pattern, and the inspiration and interperetation of nature.

Marion said it has been hard work, pulling it all together, and there is already interest in all the workshops. Basically, though, she said it is about bringing together those who value fibres and works that are environmentally sensitive and responsive. It is getting those people together and having a party, having an enormous talkfest about ecology, treatment of the water, recycling resources. "From there to take it forward making the most of what you have got and being sustainable in your practice, as sustainable as you possibly are able to be."

Thanks Asa Wahlquist for the text.

  

This calendar correct as of 7 May 2012 but subject to change without notice and is synchronised to calendar version 8.1.

Registration gets you entry to all night events without further charge as well as 10% off all workshops you do and discounts at participating local businesses and 10% off qualifying purchases at Beautiful Silks.

Night activities

opening night$9.90 AUD Thurs 28 June - these are a few of my favourite things$9.90 AUD Mon 2 July- networking night$30.00 AUD Tues 3 July- David Higgins/ Aki Kurihara$15.00 AUD Wed 4 July- India Flint$15.00 AUD Thurs 5 July - these are a few of my favourite things$9.90 AUD Mon 9 July- Ilka White$15.00 AUD Tues 10 July- Naomi Stevenson and Jon Yaakov Gorr$50.00 AUD

India Flint	Aukje Boonstra	Lindy Frayne

Roz Hawker	Trace Willans	Velma Bolyard

Asa Wahlquist	Phil Hali