ÀDÌRẸ TURNED RESIST INTO LANGUAGE

In Yoruba indigo textiles, the parts that refuse the dye can matter as much as the parts that turn blue.

Àdìrẹ is associated with Yoruba textile traditions in south-western Nigeria. The basic principle is resist dyeing. Before cloth enters the indigo bath, selected areas are protected so they cannot absorb the dye. Folding, tying, stitching or applying starch can create different patterns. After dyeing, those protected areas remain lighter, producing contrasts of blue and white. Àdìrẹ production was traditionally closely associated with women and patterns could carry recognizable local identities. The tradition expanded significantly in the early twentieth century as imported cotton cloth became more available and makers experimented with new designs and production methods. The remarkable thing is that absence creates the image. The pattern exists because some parts of the cloth are deliberately prevented from receiving colour.

Design is not always about adding something. Sometimes it is about controlling what is withheld.

• VASTGELEGD

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• Cotton

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• Àdìrẹ

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• Indigo

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