Here are books and articles we’ve found helpful, interesting and worthwhile sharing. We’ll continue to add to the list as our reading continues.
BOOKS
The Secret Lives of Colour - Kassia St Clair/published by John Murray, 2016
As the author states in her Introduction, “what I’ve tried to do is provide something between a potted history and a character sketch for the 75 shades that have intrigued me the most”.
Colour: Travels Through the Paintbox - Victoria Finlay/published by Hodder and Stoughton, 2002
Finlay literally travels around the world to understand the origins and methods of extracting colour whether for painting or using with textiles.
The Root of Wild Madder: Chasing the History, Mystery, and Lore of the Persian Carpet - Brian Murphy/published by Simon and Schuster, 2005
Murphy visits Iran on several trips between 1999 to 2004 in order to write about carpets, the people who make them and “the art of making dyes from nature”.
ONLINE
Be rooted: learning from Aboriginal dyeing and weaving/2015, Elizabeth Dori Tunstall, Associate Professor, Design Anthropology, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne. Dr. Tunstall is now Dean, Faculty of Design, OCAD University
This report came after a two-week cultural exchange focused on Aboriginal sustainability through natural dyeing and weaving. Participants included a group of international designers and Aboriginal artists, elders and teachers.