100% Cotton fabric, exhaust residue, black dye, strawberries, and blueberries.
Artist Statement
Society is engulfed in our environment, everything we do makes an impact. Our planet continues to grow and develop, but over time man-made chemicals, waste, pollution, and negligence will eventually take its toll on our environment. The viewer will be able to witness the natural background with the use of plants such as strawberries and blueberries. As the foreground fabric suffocates, representing the chemically processed shadow that will take its declining course if change is not made.
The Process
My process consisted of writing down different ideas that are natural and unnatural. I began thinking about what natural and unnatural products I would use to dye the fabric. The material used was 100% cotton fabric. The natural fabric, I boiled strawberries and blueberries for a couple hours to achieve the light pink color. For my unnatural fabric, I used the powdered black dye for over three hours at two different times to achieve a black smoke, oil spill, chemically processed look and feel. I also incorporated actual exhaust residue from a diesel truck to add and demonstrate what we are breathing in and what we are putting into our environment. To present the project I had to wear latex gloves to avoid getting exhaust on my hands and arms which helped make a bold statement.
Materials: Experiment 1 Dying
