Indigo Immersion: Creating a shrine

 

 

 

A visit last week to the Albuquerque Museum was a delightful immersion in indigo. The focus on immersion tied into the act of being immersed in my own writing. It also reflects the pandemic semi-isolation we are experiencing as humans. Masks were required and this hanging cloth exhibit had me thinking about my view of looking through a mask, which covers my mouth and nose, but my vision seems to be similiarily affected. 

Dried Indigo leaves hang as a reminder that the dye is processed from the leaves of this bean family plant.  Blue seems to be a popular favorite color for many people. What does the color indigo remind you of? Take some time to write about the indelible blue. 

 

6,200 years of allure, trade, colonialism, slavery, globalism, and cultural exchange are visited in this exhibit. The labor-intensive process of growing indigo plants and extracting blue pigment from them combined with the value of indigo products led colonial powers to establish indigo plantations in the Southeastern United States, The Caribbean, Latin America, and India. The Indigo Revolt in India and the legacy of slavery are examples of the complex and sometimes violent history of how and why the plant has been grown, traded, and used.  (Albuquerque Museum exhibit notes)

It was good to be around people again for awhile and we encountered a fellow poet friend behind a mask. How can we strengthen and acknowledge our connections?

In Japan at the beginning of each year, indigo dyers may create a paper indigo "god" in a kimono shape to bring good luck into their dyeing. Dyers include the name of the dye workshop and the symbol for the year. This one from 2008 reflects the year of the rat.  2022 is the year of the tiger. Why not create your own kimono shrine for your writing or studio space? Add a tiger somewhere on the shrine. I plan to make a collage with recycled paper scraps or other interesting items and hang in my studio.

 

 

The exhibit will be at the Albuquerque Museum through April 24, 2022.