Co-creating new rhythms with nature
Plus, news on upcoming shows!
Hi friends,
Spring is here in London, and the additional hours of sunshine have been a much needed welcome in the studio. Colours are arriving with the parade of flowers, and I am using the abundance of nature to test new methods of creating natural pigments.
Everything from onion peels leftover from dinner, to avocado waste from the cafe in my studio building, to dried eucalyptus leaves from an old saves anniversary bouquet is fair game. I have been surprised by the perfect alchemy of chance and chemistry involved in natural dye and ink making, just by altering the PH of the water or the fabric/paper type you can create drastically different results.
Change and co-creation with natural elements have long been a crucial part of my creative practice, but creating pigment from foraged or often wasted parts of nature has allowed me to appreciate this process of co-creation (and nature itself) in a way I had not foreseen.
New seasons
Logically, I know that everything in nature has its own seasons and rhythms. I know also that not every season is one for producing, or flowering, in the same way that not every season is for shedding leaves and resting. And yet, it can feel fiercely hard to apply that same grace, that understanding of nature’s rhythms and patterns to myself and my own energy cycle.
The process of working with natural dyes has forced me to devise new rhythms for my days too, there is no hurrying the process of extracting dyes, or drying the fabric - these days my practice looks more like being rather than doing. Some days I am researching, somedays thinking or resting, others creating a dye bath or simply foraging – only a small portion of how I spend my time now is the actual making.
As I have made more space to just exist, my weeks are morphing into something else entirely. The routines of weeks, months or even years matter less as the present moment comes into focus.
Every moment of the day is an invitation to check in with myself and those that I care about, asking:
What is needed today? What feels good today?
How much do I have to give, in this moment? Do I need to slow down? Do I need to speed up? Do I need to be in a flow state? Do I need to get a task done? Do I need a nap? Who can I care for today?
Upcoming shows
As a culmination of the Turps offsite program I have been doing, I will be a part of two group shows in May! I am so excited to share how my work has changed and evolved over the last year. Both the shows are open to public and you are officially invited!
May 10-11: Off/Centre, Part of Dulwich Open House Festival
May 15-24: Turps Offsite Show 24-25, Thames-Side Studios Gallery
As always you can find more of my available work on my profile on instagram @sanarao, or DM for enquiries!
x
sana