Natural Dyes: Contemporary Innovations

Vanessa Mardirossian

vanessamardirossian@gmail.com

Textile ecoliteracy through vegetalo-bacteria dyes

Scientific studies have shown that the synthetic dyes we wear can interfere with our bodies and cause serious health issues. As a textile designer these revelations challenged me, because colour has been my main means of expression for more than twenty years. Therefore, I focus my researchon the development of non-toxic dyes aided by a chemist expertise. My research uses an artistic and scientific approach to allow designers to rethink materials and processes in order to develop safer dyes that respect the environment. Using food waste, the research aims at providing bacteria with the nutrients they need to produce a rich palette of different shades while saving precious resources and limiting the use of water, energy and cultivable areas. By focusing on new forms of biodesign, where designers collaborate with the living to produce non-toxic colours, the work becomes an act of prevention, at a time when cases of environmental diseases are constantly increasing. The dialogue I establish between Design, Chemistry and environmental health allows me to use my creative path to develop a textile ecoliteracy: an ecological practice in design to understand the impact of textile production on ecosystems

Denise Green

dng22@cornell.edu

Natural Dyes for Sportswear

Watch both Denise Green & Vanessa Mardirossian's interventions here: http://naturaldyeconference.ca/symposium-three/intervention-one/