In keeping with the highly technical
nature of this venture no expense has been spared in the preparation of the
dye-bath. Here we have upgraded from the small white bucket used in part-one to
a big green bucket and a pair of extra long barbecue tongs.
The shirts are dyed as normal except for
the protected ends. Remember that dying with black cold-dye requires twice the
additives , salt and THREE HOURS in the bath.
A few things didnt go well at this stage.
When cutting the jute twine be careful. I sliced a small hole in one of the
shirts with the knife.
At this point it was decided to put the
project aside for a while. None of the t-shirts actually fitted me so I might
wait until I can get one that does.
Three tshirts have their sleeves folded in and then are folded
from the bottom to the neck in loose folds. When folded one end is placed into a
plastic bag and the bag tied up with jute twine.
When the end is well tied-off all three shirts are attached to some kind of support so they can be hung inside the bucket and the end being dyed can be freely agitated and kept immersed in the dye-bath
The dye-bath is set up
as normal for a Dylon cold-dye
Here, the garments can be clearly seen soaking in the dye-bath. A
disadvantage of the big-green-bucket system not obvious in the light of
the camera flash is that the bucket depth and colour make an accurate assessment
of the condition of the garments impossible
Here the garments are shown folded, with the end encased in
plastic and tied off with jute twine. Jute twine was used because the word
"jute" seems cool and may add a sense of art and nature (falsely)
I should have been suspicious when the process went so well. I
didnt get a hole in my glove or a blue finger. There was no shrivelling
container spraying boiling water. I didnt do everything as the instructions
suggest of course. I didnt weigh the t-shirts or the salt additive. I didn't
make the shirts damp before I added them to the dye. Some parts of the garments
were only getting limited application of the dye as the shirts were folded. The
dye didnt take well. Fortunately, this is an experiment for me and a strong
element of serendipity is involved in the final outcome. There will be a part
three and four where the dye will be resisted in different ways and maybe a
silkscreen used to add text or a design to pull the textures of the dying
together in a more graphic manner.
One of the things I enjoy about little art experiments is that the unexpected
can become beautiful in the right frame or on the correct wall or with a tight
graphic
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