“Feelings | Textures | Hues | Gentleness | Bold | Deep | Soft | Resist Dye | Thread & Twirl”
—— Shibori ——
Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada
Scholar | Curator | Artist
An artist, curator, author and co-author of several books including The Kimono Inspiration: Art and Art to wear in America; Memory on Cloth: Shibori Now and Shibori: The Inventive Art of Japanese Shaped-Resist Dyeing.
Yoshiko Wada has curated exhibitions at the Textile Museum in Washington, DC, the Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco and the Jim Thompson Art Center in Bangkok, Thailand. Her own work has been exhibited widely since the 1970s, including the Smithsonian Institution’s Renwick Gallery and the International Textile Fair in Kyoto. She is president of World Shibori Network, founder of Slow Fiber Studios, producer of the Natural Dye Workshop film series and co-chair of the 10th International Shibori Symposium in Oaxaca, Mexico.
“In 1997 while at a Sutra conference, attended by many from the Natural Dye world, Mrs. Krishnakumar met Artist, Curator & Educator and master at Natural Dyeing - Yoshiko Wada.
A conversation struck, a wish and invitation was extended by Mrs. Krishnakumar requesting her to conduct one of her workshops in Munnar,
as the specially-abled couldn’t all travel out.
While exchanging good-byes a casual glance at her card revealed details of her book “Memory of Cloth”, which was incidentally the book that was the Aranya Workshop GuideBook. The realisation that Yoshiko Wada was “Aranya’s Teacher in Absentia” took Yoshiko by surprise and struck a chord with her. Within the year she visited Aranya for the first time to conduct a workshop.
“Yoshiko Wada — our mentor for everything Shibori, has been visiting Aranya every year since and has not just been our guide & teacher.
She has taught us some special techniques which are signature to Aranya’s Shibori creations.
“Lighthearted | Blue-Green | Upbeat | Turquoise | Royal | Sapphire | Teal | Blue-Grey”
—— Indigo ——
“My work is dedicated to the Indigo-Blue. Running a tiny dye-house here on our farm outside of Trondheim / Norway” …. The Dye Vat at Aranya Natural has been set up by Axel Becker. Over the years he has taught us many secrets of dyeing along with the basics of course !
Jenny Belfour Paul is an Honorary Research Fellow at Exeter University; a Fellow of London’s Royal Geographical Society; New York’s Explorers Club; Royal Asiatic Societyand President of the UK’s Association of Guilds of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers. Jenny Balfour Paul, writer, artist, international lecturer and intrepid traveller, is author of two books on Indigo, and numerous other writings. Jenny has been a friend, patron and contributor for several years. She has contributed her vast knowledge, time and has shared skills with the Aranya Natural team in Munnar.
Michel Garcia is a botanist, naturalist, chemist & dyer. He founded Couleur Garance in Lauris, France, where he established Le Jardin Conservatoire de Plants Tinctoriales (Botanical Garden of Dye Plants) in 2000 as a historical resource for chemists, natural dye researchers and botanists. He has been instrumental in revitalising the use of natural dyes in France and throughout the world for over 20 years. Michel’s efforts have been pivotal to cultivating a greater understanding of the history of natural dyes while going on to teach more sustainable adaptations for current practice. Michel’s workshops on the numerous facets and the use of natural dyes from extracting pigments for paints to dyeing techniques on varied fabrics have been our guide at Aranya Natural.
Linda Labelle is a natural dye expert in the art of Natural Dyeing using Indigo. She has travelled the world conducting natural dye & weaving workshops. Among a few are workshops in Oaxaca, Mexico where she brought together artisans from two silk producing villages ; workshops at IndigoSutra and numerous over the years at Aranya Natural in Munnar. A degree in Textile Design from Fit in New York, Linda is the Founder and owner of “The Yarn Tree” in Roanoke, Virginia. Linda maintains a 55-gallon natural ferment vat in her studio at home.
Jagada Rajappa is an independent textile consultant / entrepreneur on natural dyes. She has been dedicated to the art of traditional Indigo dyeing since 1984. She has been collaborating with weavers, printers and dyers from India as well as Internationally emphasising the use of natural dyes along with imparting sustainable techniques for its use. Her extensive work done with craftsmen on the revival, resurgence and knowledge transfer of traditional Indigo dyeing and its adaptations on various textile techniques along with the ongoing training has helped bring Indigo production continuously to the main stream of life.
