Edvard Blomstrom Link Co-Lab1: Material as collaborator

IMAGE: Collage #1 - Dyed cotton on wood 30x40cm
IMAGE: Collage #2 - Dyed cotton on wood 30x40cm

I initially approached this project wanting to explore pigment and paint production, looking into how its raw materials were gathered, and what impact it might have had on the environment. In my research, I came across the paint “mummy brown”, which was very popular in the 16th to 19th centuries. It has since naturally been discontinued as it was made from the ground up remains of ancient Egyptian mummies. I found this to be an interesting example of shortsighted and careless exploitation of an obviously finite resource. I abandoned the idea of doing a traditional painting and started working with cloth as my main material instead, as I found the crevasses and folds of the mummy wrappings to be the most visually interesting. I experimented with dyeing bits of cotton canvas, using coffee, dirt, water and acrylics to make collages.

Experience:

Being HUMAN 2021/22