Pigments, Extraction, Application and Territoriality

This workshop introduces participants to natural dye and textile pigment practices as both technical processes and spaces for collective reflection. Working with plant- and mineral-based pigments, we will explore dye extraction, fiber preparation, mordanting, and color fixation while learning how materials carry ecological, cultural, and political histories. The workshop approaches dyeing as a living practice rooted in territorial knowledge learned in my own region (from the Pacific territories of Chocó to the Andes) and sustained by communities that have preserved and transformed these techniques over generations. All core materials are included, and a portion of the workshop income is directed toward supporting the knowledge holders and women teachers who safeguard and transmit these techniques. Through guided experimentation, participants will create dyed samples and small textile studies while engaging in conversations about care, sustainability, and non-oppressive making. The process emphasizes slow work, attention to material behavior, and ethical relationships with natural resources. Alongside hands-on practice, we will reflect on how dye traditions migrate, adapt, and function as forms of resistance and cultural continuity. Open to artists, designers, and anyone curious about color and material, the workshop offers an accessible entry point into natural pigments while encouraging participants to situate their practice within broader questions of ecology, memory, and collective responsibility.