2007.75.12

• textile

This is a textile and mixed media sculpture of a ball of string. The form is created with a polystyrene form wrapped with fine strands of hemp. The ball is dip dyed with the majority of the sphere colored a dark indigo blue that transitions to lighter blue and then to cream at the opposite end.

URL: http://www.browngrotta.com/pages/shindo.htmlAccessed: 4/24/09Statement:I have developed my own system for indigo dyeing, which utilizes wide flat troughs in which I lay small stones. As I pour the dye into the trough, I watch carefully as the indigo is drawn slowly into the fabric. The resulting gradations of hues of blue - from nearly invisible shadows to areas of nearly black - are a happy combination of natural process and my own invention.In my exploration of indigo dyeing I have discovered that the white in each work - whether handwoven cotton or linen or a mixture of both - is as great a concern as the dyed portion. If the white is not brilliant enough, or the undyed portion is not of the right proportion, the balance is broken, and so I insist: white is as important to my work as is indigo.Hiroyuki Shindo