Gaude, Indigo, Garance, Oak gall

CMYK

CMYK is an artistic research project focused on cultivating new ways of observing and engaging with living beings. The colour palette of a region is shaped by various elements, including soil geology, composition (such as clay or volcanic materials), and the presence of metallic oxides or organic matter. The extraction of these natural colours for the image-making industry brings environmental challenges, like biodiversity loss and the gradual depletion of natural resources, reflecting our harmful relationship with the living world.

Drawing inspiration from the tradition of women naturalists, who developed a unique "attentive style" to the natural world by using their domestic confinement to explore local flora and fauna, Colorama envisions new ways of living on Earth. This approach seeks to combine knowledge and sensitivity, moving beyond the destructive exploitation of nature

Making process

During her residency at ôkhra – Ecomuseum of ocher, Violaine Barrois researched and documented various historical techniques for producing pigments and dyes derived from plants, minerals, mollusks, fungi, or insects, from the history of colours, to the discovery of pigments and dyes, as well as the customs and practices that accompany them.
She searched for the best recipes to obtain the most vibrant hues of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black.

Cyan: Provence indigo
Magenta: madder root or brazilwood
Yellow: turmeric or weld
Black: iron gall ink

The inks were thickened using guar gum and the film used to create the screen-printing stencil was made with heat with a Riso printer and not chemically.

Recipe for Oak Gall Ink

Ingredients:
20-30 oak galls (dried and crushed)
1 liter of distilled water
5 grams of iron sulfate (ferrous sulfate)
A few drops of gum Arabic solution (to thicken the ink and help it adhere better to paper)
A small amount of clove or wine (optional) (to act as a preservative)

Instructions:
Crush the Oak Galls: Break the oak galls into small pieces using a mortar and pestle or by placing them in a cloth bag and hitting them with a hammer.
Soak in Water: Place the crushed oak galls in a glass or ceramic container and cover them with the distilled water. Let them soak for about 1-2 weeks in a warm, dark place, stirring occasionally.
Heat the Mixture: After soaking, gently heat the mixture in a saucepan for 30 minutes. Avoid boiling; just let it simmer.
Strain the Mixture: Once cooled, strain the mixture through a fine cloth or filter to remove any solid particles, leaving only the tannin-rich liquid.
Add Iron Sulfate: Slowly add the iron sulfate to the liquid while stirring. The mixture will darken as the iron reacts with the tannins to form ink.
Add Gum Arabic: Add a few drops of gum Arabic solution to the ink. This will thicken it and improve its flow and adherence to paper.
Preserve the Ink: If desired, add a few drops of clove oil or a small amount of wine to help preserve the ink and prevent mould growth.

Recipe for Gaude Ink

Ingredients:
100g Gaude (dried leaves - no roots)
100 cl of distilled water

Instructions:
Cut the plant: Cut the plant into small pieces
Soak in Water: Cover with distilled water in a container.
Let it macerate for 24 hours.
Heat the Mixture: Heat for 15 minutes at 70°C.
Strain the Mixture: First, filter the preparation using a sieve, then finalize with a fabric filter. Only the juice should remain, without impurities!

Recipe for Indigo Ink

Ingredients:
5 grams of indigo powder (natural or synthetic)
50 ml of distilled water
5 ml of alcohol (ethanol or isopropyl alcohol) (acts as a preservative)
1-2 grams of gum Arabic (to thicken and stabilize the ink)
Optional: A few drops of clove oil (to further prevent mould and improve preservation)

Instructions:
Prepare the Indigo Solution: In a small container, dissolve the indigo powder in distilled water. Stir well to ensure that the powder is fully mixed into the water.
Add Gum Arabic: Gradually add gum Arabic to the indigo solution while stirring continuously. This step is crucial, as gum Arabic acts as a binder, giving the ink the right viscosity and helping it adhere better to surfaces.
Mix in Alcohol: Add the alcohol to the mixture to act as a preservative. It helps prevent the growth of bacteria and mould, which can spoil the ink over time.
Strain the Mixture: Pour the ink mixture through a fine cloth or coffee filter to remove any undissolved particles, ensuring a smooth ink consistency.
Optional – Add Clove Oil: Add a few drops of clove oil for extra preservation and to give the ink a pleasant aroma. (indigo has a very unpleasant smell!)

Recipe for Garance (Madder) Ink

Ingredients:
30 grams of dried madder root (chopped or powdered)
500 ml of distilled water
5 grams of alum (potassium aluminium sulfate) (to fix the colour)
1-2 grams of gum Arabic (to thicken and stabilize the ink)
5 ml of alcohol (ethanol or isopropyl alcohol) (for preservation)
Optional: A few drops of clove oil (for additional preservation)

Instructions:
Prepare the Madder Root Solution: Place the chopped or powdered madder root in a saucepan and add distilled water. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and let it cook for about 30–45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Strain the Mixture: After simmering, strain the liquid through a fine cloth or coffee filter to remove the root particles, leaving a rich red dye solution.
Add Alum: While the liquid is still warm, stir in the alum. This will help fix the colour, making it more vibrant and stable.
Mix in Gum Arabic: Add the gum Arabic to the solution to thicken the ink and improve its flow. Stir until fully dissolved.
Add Alcohol: Pour in the alcohol to preserve the ink, preventing mould and bacterial growth.

Text submitted by the maker and edited by the Future Materials Bank. For information about reproducing (a part of) this text, please contact the maker.