DYCP award

Late 2023 I was notified to say that I had been successful with my application for Arts Council funding to allow me to spend a year learning more about natural dyeing, block printing and also have an opportunity to visit Bagru, near Jaipur. I knew I was never going to want to emulate the detail of the work from that area, as my inspiration has always come from my love of the work of Barron and Larcher and the style of modernism, however I knew it is always important to start at the beginning of every story. Everyone who I had met in this small field of practice had visited India and been influenced by their time there. This is probably a good moment to say how important people who I have met and who have shared their passion, skills and experience over the last few years have been - I would never have achieved anything without people being so generous. I have put their names below. I am not well-travelled so the experience of visiting Bagru was always going to be significant, and it was in so many different ways. When Bagru is mentioned, it is usually accompanied by the word artisan, and it still is true - sort of. However my lasting memory will be the scale that it now has to work to feed - the insatiable appetite for more of everything, buying and consuming so much more then can be sustained from nature itself. The natural water source for the community is no longer there and water has to be brought in by road, fabric is no longer bleached naturally in the sun but by using chemicals. Natural indigo isn’t used except on the premium collections, as synthetic is cheaper.

Key names who have helped me and I want to say a big thank you to: Sarah Burns https://www.sarahburnspatterns.com/ Louisa Loakes https://www.louisaloakes.com/ Jeanette Orrell https://jeanetteorrell.bigcartel.com/ Wabisabi project https://wabisabiproject.com/