Public programme: Ana Cardoso. Leaky Abstraction

Visit to the exhibition with the artist Ana Cardoso in conversation with Susana Anágua +
Natural Dyeing Workshop with Guida Fonseca

This activity takes place within the context of Ana Cardoso's exhibition Leaky Abstraction, which features natural dyes on linen thread. Drawing from this experience and knowledge, we will reveal the principles of natural dyeing, discover some of the most important dye plants, and examine their historical significance. We will learn how to prepare the fibres, proceed with mordanting, prepare dye baths, and perform dyeing techniques. Our focus will be on using Rubia tinctorum, not only for the stunning colours it produces, but also for its significance throughout history. To wrap up, we will reflect on our experiments and discuss the role of natural dyeing in the present day.

As an ancient practice, natural dyeing is much more than a complementary activity of textile production. Fundamentally, it is both a practice of connecting with nature and a path of experimentation, discovery, and enchantment.

The workshop will be preceded by a tour to the exhibition Leaky Abstraction, in dialogue with Ana Cardoso.
 

Textile artist Guida Fonseca is a trainer in various textile disciplines (weaving, tapestry, natural dyeing). She regularly collaborates with CEARTE and Saber Fazer. She creates and exhibits textile artworks internationally, and conducts research, safeguards, and reinterprets traditional Portuguese weaving techniques. She developed a research project on natural dyeing in the Azores Archipelago which resulted in the exhibition Cores da Terra: A Tinturaria nas Ilhas, held in 2019 at the Francisco Lacerda Museum in São Jorge, and the publication of its catalogue. She is the author and co-author of several technical publications, and has written texts and produced other educational content in the fields of weaving and debuxo for the Porto Fashion & Fabric Museum.