9 cores, 3 geografias

Abstract

9 cores, 3 geografias (9 colours, 3 geographies) is an exhibition project, presented in the temporary exhibition gallery of the Covilhã Wool Museum. It establishes a link between Berlin (Germany), Bío-Bío (Chile) and Covilhã (Portugal), through the colour potential of the plants that inhabit these three regions. Specifically, it presents a series of painting and dyeing experiments on fabric and paper, using paints and dye baths extracted from plants and vegetables, as well as the mapping of the flora of these places. This working method, which began in Berlin where the paints were made from vegetable peelings, berries and weeds, seeks to reflect the cycle of ‘life - decay - compost - new life’, following the logic of composting and sustainable harvesting. In this way, the colours of the natural paints correspond to the local flora and the season in which the plants were harvested. In Berlin, the territories presented are urban areas covered with spontaneous plants. The aim is to use colour to draw attention to unnoticed or unwanted flora (such as weeds) and surplus plants, and to open up a space for new perceptions and possibilities. In the case of Bío-Bío, the plants refer to ancestral dyeing traditions that are still in force and are threatened by the impact of forestry companies on the native flora. The coloured map with the plants shown corresponds to part of the Mapuche1 territory. This community, currently the largest indigenous population in Chile, has been fighting against the occupation of their land since the 19th century, and this ongoing struggle is intertwined with the preservation of their own culture and the environment of the geographical region in which they live. This link between cultural and environmental preservation is present in the textile art they produce using natural fibres and dyes. In Covilhã, the Ribeira da Goldra has been colour mapped, specifically the area around the Real Fábrica Veiga, alluding to the region’s textile identity. It should be noted that the Ribeira da Goldra itself was coloured by chemical dyes from blue to red, among other colours, in the days of the textile industry. The map presented here is intended to draw attention to the plants that grow on the banks of the river, opening up a new stage in the significance of the colours of this body of water. The natural dyeing process is in line with the REVIVE research project (2022.01243.PTDC), ‘The colors from the Royal Textile Factory of Covilhã, 1764-1850’. By the date of the exhibition, 17 plants collected on the banks of the Ribeira da Goldra had been tested and subsequently applied to 100% wool fibres and wool with viscose, according to 18th century dyeing recipes. In short, in 9 cores, 3 geografias, the aim is to reflect on issues of environmental protection and sustainability, while at the same time opening up a new perspective on the landscape, experiencing and interpreting it through the chromatic materiality of the flora that inhabits it. This work is part of the Doctoral thesis and artistic research project in Media Arts, Arts Research Unit of the University of Beira Interior, supervised by Professor Francisco Paiva and Professor Rita Salvado. It was carried out with the support of the UBI Doctoral Scholarship, Caixa Geral de Depósitos and MUSLAN-UBI, as part of the preparation of the exhibition of the same name at the Temporary Exhibition Gallery of the Wool Museum of the Real Fábrica Veiga, from 4 October to 4 November 2024.