Cabbage Blues

Research/ installation
2021

Materials:
Red cabbage, cotton textile, cotton paper, wood.

Project:
Academic project
MA GEO Design
Design Academy Eindhoven

Photography:
Gerardo Sandoval Osio


Acknowledgments:
Els Woldhek, tutor
Formafantasma, directors

How can we reshape our relationship with the colors that exist in the natural world and that humans extract for cultural expression?

Cabbage Blues questions the search for the ideal shade of blue (the color coveted in the western society for centuries), the extractivism behind obtaining it, and its permanence in the world.

In the case of blue dye based on red cabbage, its sensitivity to the pH of both the dye and the environment causes the dyes to be unpredictable, creating a variety of shades in the medium to be dyed. In the result, a gradient of blue tones can be seen, which in turn gives an iridescent sensation, highlighting the imperfection of the color itself as an aesthetic element.

After boiling, it is still possible to consume red cabbage; if it is dried, the leaves acquire a translucent appearance and a solid consistency that can be molded.

Installation:

Tokonoma with cotton fabric curtain dyed with red cabbage and fabriano paper kakemono with blue tint made from red cabbage, vinegar, baking soda and salt. Pine wood frame.

Shibori in cotton fabric with blue dye made from red cabbage, vinegar, baking soda and salt.

Semi-spherical containers made from boiled, moulded and dried red cabbage.