Textile Museum exhibit tangled up in blue

Reblogged from the Textile Museum web site:

BLUE
April 4 - September 18, 2008

> Hiroyuki Shindo, Shindigo Space 07 (detail), 2006. 'Shindigo shibori'-dyed cotton and hemp and Shindigo balls (polystyrene wrapped with hemp and dip-dyed). Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Joel Chester Fildes.

The human perception of color is a complex sensory phenomenon filtered through the eyes, brain, language and multiple layers of social experience. While shades of red (examined in the 2007 Textile Museum exhibition RED) quicken the pulse and increase blood pressure, blue induces a calming effect and is widely perceived as a “cool,” tranquil color.

> Kain panjang (long cloth, hip wrapper) detail, Indonesia, Yogyakarta (in the style of Ceribon), Chinese-Indonesian, 20th century. Commercial cotton, resist patterning. The Textile Museum 1998.11.16. Gift of Beverly Deffef Labin Collection.

BLUE explores the creation and meaning of the color blue on textiles produced across time and place, with particular emphasis on contemporary artists’ use of natural indigo dyes. Until the invention of chemical dyes in the late 19th century, peoples worldwide relied largely on indigo-bearing plants to achieve blue-colored garments, household furnishings, artworks and even body paint. Many cultures attributed talismanic properties as well as health benefits to indigo, and the mysterious transformation of this temperamental dye has long been steeped in myth and magic .... 

BLUE is curated by Lee Talbot, Assistant Curator, Eastern Hemisphere Collections, and Mattiebelle Gittinger, Research Associate, Southeast Asian Textiles.

Associated Events:
(Registration required)

April 10

BLUE Lecture Series: "A Passion for Indigo: My Fascination with the Exotic Past and Exciting Future of this Unique Dyestuff"
Jenny Balfour-Paul, Scholar and Artist
Thursday, 6:30 pm

April 24

BLUE Lecture Series: "African Blues"
Lisa Aronson, Associate Professor of Art History, Skidmore College
Thursday, 6:30 pm

May 1

BLUE Lecture Series: "Transforming Blue: From Seed to Dye, Indigo in Contemporary Japan"
Rowland Ricketts, III, Artist
Thursday, 6:30 pm

May 15

BLUE Lecture Series: "Indigo Immortal: The History and Global Culture of Levi's Jeans"
Lynn Downey, Historian, Levi Strauss and Company
Thursday, 6:30 pm

May 22

BLUE Lecture Series: "Indigo: A Personal Journey"                      
Hiroyuki Shindo, Artist and Mary Lance, Filmmaker
Thursday, 6:30 pm