Sozan Indigo Art

Hundred Years of Taiwan Indigo Exhibition in Keelung Cultural Center

2009-04-29T18:38:00.002+08:00

Time for Exhibition/April 23rd (Thursday), 2009 to May 27th (Wednesday), 2009
Place for Exhibition/First Display Room in Keelung Cultural Center
Address/No.181, Xin 1st Rd., Zhongzheng District, Keelung City, Taiwan
Phone: (02)2422-4170-8
Fax：(02)24287811
http://www.klccab.gov.tw/

Activities
1. Lecture Time/May 2nd(Saturday) pm2:00-4:00
Topic/Indigo
World Speaker/CHEN Ling-Hsiang
Place/2nd Conference Room
2. DIY Courses
a. Printing, April 25th(Saturday), 2009 pm3:00-4:30 at the Open Square of the Cultural Center
b. Shibori, May 9th (Saturday), 2009 pm2:00-4:00 at the Open Square of the Cultural Center
c. Dyeing by brooks, May 16th(Saturday), 2009 pm2:00-4:00 at the Dachin Farm, Nuaan-Nuaan, Keelung

Host/Keelung City Government
Organizer/Keelung City Cultural Affairs Bureau
Curator/ CHEN Ling-Hsiang
Exhibitor/Taiwan Indigo Dyeing Society
Exhibited Work Presenter/Sozan Indigo Art

Hundred Years of Taiwan Indigo and Keelung

2009-04-19T22:42:00.004+08:00

LEE Jui-Tsung[1]

Nuaan-Nuaan (Warmth), this special name for a place has long caught my attention. However, it was not until 1996 that I first set foot on Nuaan-Nuaan. During that time, I was teaching at a university in Hsin-Chu and was working on the ecological investigation and landscape planning of the Si-Shih Reservoir commissioned by our department which can be thought of as the first cultural landscape investigation project in Taiwan. When investigating the plant plots, we found Dachin (Assam indigo), the raw material for making mud indigo, in the forest. Later, in search of Chin Xue (stone tanks) used to produce mud indigo, my assistant and I traveled all over the headstream watersheds but failed to find any remains of it. In 2003, Ms. Ling-Hsiang CHEN and I co-taught a “DaChin Indigo Dyeing” class at the Keelung Community College, I supposed the students from which can still remember that we collected Dachin and produced mud indigo near the Dong-Shih-Kun village during that semester.

At the end of March in 2009, we visited the Chin Xue at the Go-Shan Kiln, following the lead of Ms. Bao-tsaai Huang. As we removed the bushes and weeds around, we waited to see whether this Chin Xue came in the traditional two-round-one-square style or were some adjustments and corrections made according to the terrain? After clearing up the site, we found another round pit. This is a three-round-one-square Chin Xue. Possibly, it started out in the traditional two-round-one-square style, and by adding a round soaking tank next to it, forming the L-shaped layout. All in all, this is a very special set of Chin Xue. This set of Chin Xue, the Dachin communities nearby and the old houses all speak to the association between Dachin planting and Chin Xue operations. The diameter of the soaking tank is 2.7 meters, and due to deposit of dirt, its depth is now only 0.7 meter; the precipitation tank was 3.1-meter long, 2.5-meter wide, 1-meter deep at the present time.

As to the search for dyeing works, we have found that the Shuen-Huh shop on Nuaan-Nuaan Street used to be a custom-house. Its owner earned a lot of money and became the wealthiest person in town. As there was an arc-shaped stone seen in the shop, we think that before the rise of the tea industry, the Shuen-Huh shop could have prospered from shipping and selling Taiwan indigo and running the dyeing works. This dyeing works connecting with Dachin and Chin Xue from Dong-Shih-Kun River and Si-Shih-Kun River, formed the local indigo industry. It is as if we were seeing a scene from a hundred years ago, when the Shuen-Huh Dyeing Works was polishing the dyed fabrics, sailboats parking along the riverbanks, basket after basket of mud indigo being shouldered on board which would be sold in Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo, and Shanghai in China at last. The time was perhaps at the middle of the nineteenth century, around 1870.

In the early twentieth century, the Taiwan indigo industry in Juei-Faang District, Keelung Fort and Nuaan-Nuaan Street, Shih-Ding Fort gradually declined. Places that once grew Dachin switched to grow tea one after another. Eventually, they all disappeared. The Taiwan indigo industry not only showed the footprints of the pioneers reaching so deep into the rural mountains, but also clearly demonstrated how the shipping on the Keelung River interlocked the long and complicated transportation routes of old trails in the mountain areas. This definitely is a topic worth thorough exploration.

The locals of Dong-Shih-Kun River area mostly recognize Dachin but rarely have they seen Chin Xue used to produce indigo. If asked about the process of turning Dachin into mud indigo, almost no one knows. Such a condition is, in fact, a very good humanity subject, because it explains how an industry or a skill is roughly perceived, ignored, or even misunderstood, forgot, and vanished. The residents on Nuaan-Nuaan Street have hardly heard of dyeing works, Chin Xue, Dachin, not to mention the process of setting up an indigo vat, dyeing fabric and polishing dyed fabric. As far as the Taiwan indigo industry is concerned, at the industrial technology level, the operating techniques and the key tricks were most easily forgotten with nothing left, because they were held in the hands of a few specific persons. At the agricultural production level, as the planting and supply of raw materials was easy to teach and tell, and the manpower involved and invested was more extensive, the preservation of group memory was easier to achieve. According to my interviews and field investigations, I boldly infer that the disappearance of the Taiwan indigo industry started with the stop of dyed fabric production. Painted fabric had replaced indigo dyeing fabric. Next, the dyeing works were closed, the indigo vats abandoned, dyeing fabric and polishing dyed fabric stopping, and then Chin Xue was disused, mud indigo no longer produced and transported. In the end, Dachin was discarded and even completely forgotten.

We hope, beginning with Keelung, to help every place in Taiwan to discover its own Dachin, Chin Xue and dyeing works, which recorded the vivid past of our ancestors. In recent year, there have also been some local forces at the headstream of Dong-Shih-Kun River beginning their attempts to revive the Taiwan indigo industry, which is a good start. Through constant tracing and investigations, and integrating all the figures, sites, old trails and ferry points, we can eventually reconstruct the Taiwan indigo cultural map that we once had.

[1] Adjunct Associate Professor of the Graduate Institute of Architecture and Historic Preservation, Taipei National University of the Arts; Director-general of the Taiwan Indigo Dyeing Society.

A Decade of Indigo Dyeing Creation in Retrospect

2009-04-19T22:14:00.005+08:00

CHEN Ling-Hsiang

About a decade ago, in 1999, the production of natural indigo dye stuff was restored in Taiwan, and in the next year, I decided to be an artist working with this most ancient dye. After viewing countless indigo dyeing works and trying all kinds of expression techniques, I firmly believe that only the technique called Shibori in Japan can best elaborate the elegance of Taiwan indigo. In 2005, I published Shibori— Patterning Technique with Indigo, archiving the Shibori technique that I knew of. Actually, during my ten plus years in indigo dyeing, being introduced to Taiwan indigo in 1997, it was tough most of the time. I had been staggering along from the fumbling early years till couple years before I settled down to my specific way of creation. Luckily, I was invited twice to exhibit in Taichung County Culture Center, which gave me the perfect opportunity. It helped me to stand firm and also gave me greater courage to continue the uncertain journey.

This year, at the invitation of Keelung City Cultural Affairs Bureau in the spring of 2009, the Hundred Years of Taiwan Indigo is the first exhibition of my workshop, marching into its second decade. I and the other six artists, Jhu-Jhen LIN, Li-Gan SYU, Huei-Jhen HUANG, Fu-Mei CHEN, Pei-Ling HUANG and Li-Ren PENG, all value it greatly, hoping to give our best performances. The artworks of these six artists are all special in their own ways. In addition, we specially invited Ms. Chia-Yi CHENG to display her work—Aurora. This is an installation art that opened a new course for indigo dyeing creation.

Natural indigo is the dye with the longest history. Oddly, during these thousands of years, it seems that it has always been known as a fixed color, the dark blue. This color appears in all parts of the world, yet people at different places have varying interpretations of it. In Indonesia, it used to be a color only for the nobles even the king. However, in Japan, it was used to dye the work cloth of ordinary people. These polarized perceptions are due to the special property of indigo dye. Dark blue fabrics need to be dyed and washed repeatedly, which is time and effort consuming. Only the nobles can afford the high cost. However, dark blue also has the advantage of dirt endurance. Adding to it, natural indigo can strengthen the fibers of cotton cloth. Thus, dark blue cotton cloth turns out to be the best material for farm and labor clothing. In some areas such as the desert in middle east or the Yunnan-Kweichow Plateau in China, people not only dye clothes dark blue, but to the extent where it is close to black. In addition, they smear it with gluten and beat it hard to brighten the color. This kind of handling has more to do with their daily needs than with their peculiar sense of beauty. Not only is this kind of flashy cloth totally dust resistant, it is also water resistant. There is no need to clean it, which is a living wisdom of residents in areas with insufficient water supply.

Although indigo disappeared for almost a hundred years in Taiwan, and has just recently been recovered, the dark blue memory has returned immediately. As a result, in a new Taiwan Indigo dyeing epoch, during which the Taiwan indigo is regaining its strength, the creations we have seen are mostly an expression of the past instead. Taiwan indigo, this reborn-infant, carrying too much burden from tradition, is not given the chance to be young. It grows old right after birth. To get to the bottom of this, indigo dye as an equivalent of dark blue is a false perception. The indigo on traditional fabrics is not limited to dark blue. The clothes of ancient nobles in Japan were dyed lighter blue, while the clothes of ordinary people were dark blue on the other hand. The use of various shades of blue to create a sense of space found on medieval European tapestries is enchanting. There are also fair amount of light blue on the Chinese silk tapestries “kesi”. The holiest blue in India can be found on Krishna. It is expressed in all shades, from light blue to dark blue. Indigo is a worldwide dye. There are indigo dyeing works all over the world with different expressions. As long as you keep the knowledge of different fabrics in the world in mind while creating, you will not habitually dye your work dull dark blue.

I cannot deny that I was once trapped in this myth of dark blue. Facing these simple yet extremely contrasting blue and white, I often had difficulties in maintaining my enthusiasm toward creation. It was quite hard and mind-consuming to finally come out from the maze of color. Probing the characteristics of Shibori in detail, I found the border between the white shape and blue color to be an extremely subtle, misty and mysterious area. The light blue gradually disappeared in the white. I wondered, “Is there a way to expand and magnify this border?” Therefore, in my solo exhibition in 2006, I gave up the more accurate sewing method and used a relatively special creation method. I drew a very simple pattern, folded the outline into small plaits and fastened it with strings. With dye penetrating, innumerable radiating blue fine lines formed around the figure, inserting into the surrounding white and gradually diffused, dissolved… These overlapping, thin film-like blue patterns are one of my interpretations toward the unreachable deep space. My four pieces of work displayed in this exhibition are my most recent creations. Hope they will inspire and help the ones who enjoy and intend to participate in the creation of indigo dyeing.

At last I would like to say that my father was from Keelung. While I was born in Ba-Doo, I grew up, educated and worked in Taipei. My father spent his entire life in the mining industry in Keelung and passed away in Keelung Hospital. He was fifty years old that year. It has been forty years since he left me. Could it be him who is guiding me imperceptibly? I would like to dedicate this exhibition to my father and his hometown—Keelung.

2009-04-14T20:30:00.003+08:00

Hundred Years of Taiwan Indigo

Authors/CHEN Ling-Hsiang＆LEE Jui-Tsung

Publication Date/April 2009

Distribution/Keelung City Cultural Affairs Bureau

CONTENTS

Preface by Mayor 02

Preface by Director 04

The Creations of Artists 08

CHEN Ling-Hsiang

Water Knows 08

Reading Water 010

Stillness 012

A Strip of Nature 014

LIN Jhu-Jhen

Sunny Tung Flowers 018

Clouds of Tung Flowers 020

Lost 022

SYU Li-Gan

Music Boy 024

Amoeba Man 026

Lagoon Reef 028

Archipelago 030

HUANG Huei-Jhen

BeyondⅠ 032

BeyondⅡ 034

BeyondⅢ 036

BeyondⅣ 038

CHEN Fu-Mei

Iris Garden 040

Sweety 042

Gaps, So Blue 044

HUANG Pei-Ling

Memory of Records 046

Pentagonal Castle 048

Curving 050

PENG Li-Ren

On the Plain, Stars Fall 052

From the River, the Moon Rises 054

CHENG Chia-Yi

Aurora 056 Essays 058

CHEN Ling-Hsiang

A Decade of Indigo Dyeing Creation in Retrospect 060

LEE Jui-Tsung

Hundred Years of Taiwan Indigo and Keelung 074

The Taiwan Indigo among Taiwanese Culture and Arts

2009-04-04T18:30:00.004+08:00

This year, our Bureau specially invited The Taiwan Indigo Dyeing Society to host The Hundred Years of Taiwan Indigo. The main goal is to promote the beauty of Taiwan indigo dyeing culture and arts, and through this exhibition, to establish a new milestone for the history of Taiwan indigo development, that is, to increase our international participation while based in Taiwan. At a time when countries worldwide urge to encourage folk culture and arts, using indigo dyeing to represent our folk culture is, in fact, most appropriate considering our local conditions. Because while the plant needed to produce the raw materials for indigo dye stuff grows in our rainy city Keelung, it can also be found in other parts of northern Taiwan. Therefore, we can say that indigo dyeing best represents Taiwanese culture and arts.

It is easy to see the ever changing indigo dyeing from the works displayed in this exhibition. The unique techniques demonstrate the richness of gradation in the color blue and its possibilities, which is a perfect integration of life and art. Meanwhile, these artworks are also beyond the stereotypical impressions of indigo dyeing and present an extraordinary momentum that carries the characteristics of Taiwan.

Hundred Years of Taiwan Indigo

2009-04-04T18:10:00.002+08:00

Keelung is a port city where traditions meet modernity and has exceptional geographic environment. Thus, it is our goal to vigorously promote local culture indulgence, hoping that it can draw more artists and cultural workers to participate in our great event.

In the world of indigo dyeing, there are only two colors, blue and white. Yet, amazingly, it creates a variety of artworks. The pieces displayed in “Hundred Years of Taiwan Indigo” present delicate dyeing techniques with novel compositions and unique themes. Some of the artworks even had to go through more than ten times of repeated dyeing. It could not have been completed without great willpower. During this exhibition, we also hold a series of related events such as seminars and several DIY live teaching sessions. We hope to lead more residents to enter the beautiful world of indigo dyeing together.

Go! Go! Go! Panter~

2009-03-03T19:00:00.003+08:00

There is a new exhibition of Taiwan Indigo Society which is invited by .

Hundred Years of Taiwan Indigo will host in 2009/04/23-5/27...

Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada in National Palace Museum, Taiwan!

2009-02-16T19:32:00.009+08:00

February 12
Ms. Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada was lecturing in the National Palace Museum.

After the lecture, some of the audience took a picture with Ms. Wada in front of the National Palace Museum....

Prof. Lee was introducing Ms. Wada to the audience

Research fellow Tsai welcomed Ms. Wada

The condition of lecture in National Palace Museum

*Introduction of Lecture:

Overview of World Indigo Dyed Textiles

by Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada

Following the use of mineral based pigments as colorants for body, cave walls and fiber, indigo was one of the earliest dyes to color textiles. Ms Wada will look at indigo textiles and the color blue in its social context including class, religion, decorative processes, and fashion. Indigo plants are one of the most prevalent sources of dye in the world. There are over 10 plant species that contain significant amounts of indigo, adapting to a wide variety of climate and soils, thus making the dye widely available.
Early inhabitants and later, lower class people wore and used plain or natural color textiles because it took more sophisticated knowledge, time and effort to color them. Tannin based colorants and a wide range of yellow were more numerous and easily obtained from nature, but the color green was achieved only by over-dying yellow with blue. In many cases, purple was achieved by over-dying red with blue. Indigo yields a wide range of shades of blue, from pale azure to black blue-all beautiful in their own hue.
Indigo dye is a mechanical bonding dye which interacts with any natural fiber and forms a kind of coating over fiber which makes the textile stronger though weak against friction. Such is the attraction for denim Jeans.

Yoshiko I. Wada

Ms. Wada helped to examine some old textiles from Japan...

identification in NPM-1

Textile identification in NPM-2

Textile identification in NPM-3

Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada in Yangmingshan National Park, Taiwan!

2009-02-16T18:31:00.008+08:00

February 11

Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada, Mr. Hercules Morphopoulos(Husband of Ms.Wada), director Prof. Wen-Ying Huang of Graduate Institute of Applied Arts, Tainan National University of the Arts, Prof. Jui-Tsung Lee, Ms.Ling-Hsiang Chen visited Yangmingshan National Park.

Ms. Wada was talking about shibori...

Datun indigo stone tanks

Jiengshan indigo exhibition

Jiengshan indigo fresh leaf dyeing

They stay that night in Taipei.

Sozan Indigo Dyeing Shibori Exhibition in Jiengshan Nature Center!

2009-02-08T17:33:00.005+08:00

SOZAN INDIGO DYEING SHIBORI EXHIBITION

Time: 2009/02/10-02/15

09:00-16:00(everyday)

Location:

Jiengshan Nature Center, Yangmingshan National Park

2F., No.89, Lane 101, Jingshan Rd., Shihlin District, Taipei City 111, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

Organizer : Yangmingshan National Park
Sponsor：Taiwan Indigo Dyeing Society

After the exhibition of France and Canada in 2007 and 2008, we are trying to host a exhibition in Japan( which is the SHIBORI invention place in the world).

So, now we are communicating with Shibori Community, and maybe will achieve in two or three years later.

New season for Sozan Indigo Art in Neihu!

2009-02-08T17:09:00.003+08:00

New year! New season!

After the chinese new year, the big event is "Working"!

So, everyone came back to dye and create the new thing at 2/7 (Sat.)....

except "Peng"... So we will punish him a little~

Mm...maybe treat everyone!

Ha...just kidding and bringing some snack!

The Lecture of Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada in the National Palace Museum

2009-02-05T23:34:00.006+08:00

Lecturer：Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada
Lecture : "Overview of World Indigo Dyed Textile"

Time：2009/2/12（Thu.）10：00--12：00

location：National Palace Museum

Introduction of Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada

Artist, Scholar, Curator
Historical and Contemporary Textiles and Fiber Art:Japanese, Indian, and other ethnic resist dyeing traditions
PRESENT POSITIONS as of 2008:

President, World Shibori Network-World. Berkeley, CA and Nagoya, Japan.
Advisor, Gunma Prefecture Society for Sericulture Industry Promotion (GPSSIP). Gunma, Japan.
Visitng Faculty, Okinawa Prefecture University of Fine Arts, Naha, Japan.

WORK IN PROGRESS (titles tentative)

Book Ragged Beauty: Repair and Reuse, Past and Present.
Book Material Magic: Theory and Practice of Textile Art and Design Series (Protein, Cellulose, Synthetic).
Book Meisen Textile Production and Women Consumers in the First Half of the Twentieth Century Japan.

Exhibition--- “Ragged Beauty: Repaired Textiles and Other Objects”

she also have teaching courses and workshops, and sometimes have the lectures.

PUBLICATIONS

*Books

Memory on Cloth: Shibori Now, Kodansha International, Tokyo, Japan. 2002, 03, 04, 05, 06.
The Kimono Inspiration: Art and Art to Wear in America, co-edited with Rebecca tevens and co-authored with Nancy Corwin, Julie Schafler Dale to accompany exhibition co-curated the exhibition of same title, Pommogranate Artbooks, Rohnert Park, and The Textile Museum, Washington DC. 1996.
Shibori II: Himetaru Hana ("Blossoms Unveiled"), Unsodo Co. Ltd., Kyoto, Japan. 1990. Preface in Japanese and English.
Shibori: The Inventive Art of Japanese Shaped Resist Dyeing, co-authored with Mary Rice and Jane Barton, Kodansha International, 1983, 86, 88, 89, 1991, 94, 96, 99 (soft cover), 2000, 02, 03, 05 Japan.
"Craft to Art: Contemporary Work in Indigo" and "Indigo in Japan," Indigo/Leven in een kleur, Indigo Foundation, Amsterdam, Fibula-Van Dishoeck, Weesp, Holland. 1985. (Two papers contributed to this anthology).
Ikat: An Introduction, co-authored with Diane Ritch, Kasuri Dyeworks, 1973. Rev. 1975. U.S.A. Reprinted 1982, Kelvin Grove College of Advanced Education, Brisbane, Australia.
“History of Japanese Shibori,” and “The Development of Comtemporary Shibori,” catalogue for the Third International Shibori Symposium, Santiago, Chile. 1999.

*Articles for Periodicals:

STUDY OF TEXTILE COLLECTIONS
STUDY TOUR PROGRAM
FASHION PRODUCT DESIGN AND DISTRIBUTION
ARTISTS AND ARTISANS REPRESENTATIVE IN USA
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Welcome to Taiwan！President Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada

2009-02-05T23:26:00.003+08:00

President Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada will arrive in Taiwan on February 2, 2009. She will deliver three lectures on indigo culture around the world and takes part in a panel discussion.

The fisrt lecture is in the Tainan National University of the Arts at February 5. The second lecture and the panel discussion in the National Taiwan Craft Research Institute is from February 8. The third lecture is given in the National Palace Museum on the morning of February 12 from 10:00 to 12:00.

We wish her a pleasant flight.

Welcome to Taiwan！

Farewell Zhishan! Move on Neihu!

2009-01-03T13:26:00.006+08:00

2008/12/28 We will move to the Neihu, and there are also teaching and making Indigo.And also Taiwan Indigo Society will have exhibition!

Sozan Indigo Art:
1F., No.3-1, Alley 18, Lane 160, Dahu St., Neihu District, Taipei City 114, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

Taiwan Indigo Society:
14F.-4, No.81, Tayou Rd., Songshan District, Taipei City 105, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

Tel:0227474870

http://blog.yam.com/tids

Welcome to visit！

Moving from Zhishan Sozan Indigo Art

Went to the Neihu

Lots of people help us to move, and thanks to them!

We will work hard at 2009, and it will be a good beginning.

Happy New Year!

See you at 2009, every visitor.

The Last of 2008 Exhibition of Handmade Scarfs

2009-01-03T12:05:00.003+08:00

Due to the success of the Pei-Lin Huang, Fu-Mei Chen, and Li-Ren Peng's exhibition, Sozan Indigo will host the last 2008 exhibition of handmade scrafts in 11/15-12/14.

Welcome to visit！

The Exhibition of Handmade Scrafts art Dyeing

Time：11/15(Sat.)-12/14(Sun.)

Location：1F., No.806, Sec. 5, Jhongshan N. Rd., Shihlin District, Taipei City 111, Taiwan (R.O.C.)The Taiwan Indigo Society' Center of Taipei Exhibit (Sozan Indigo Art Shop)

Tel:02-28382355

http://blog.yam.com/tids

The Exhibition of Li-Gan Xu and Hui-Zhen Huang's cotton art Dyeing

2008-10-08T00:15:00.002+08:00

Due to the success of the Ahu-Zhen Lin's exhibition, Sozan Indigo will host the exhibition of Li-Gan Xu and Hui-Zhen Huang's cooton art Dyeing.

And also Sozan Indigo will host Pei-Lin Huang, Fu-Mei Chen, and Li-Ren Peng's exhibition in 11/15-12/14.

Welcome to visit！

The Exhibition of
Li-Gan Xu and Hui-Zhen Huang's
cooton art Dyeing

Time：10/11(Sat.)-11/9(Sun.)

Location：1F., No.806, Sec. 5, Jhongshan N. Rd., Shihlin District, Taipei City 111, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
The Taiwan Indigo Society' Center of Taipei Exhibit (Sozan Indigo Art Shop)

The open ceremony:10/11(Sat.)14：00

The Lecture:10/11(Sat.)14：30~16:00(The Art of Cotton and The Life)

The Dyeing DIY：10/18(Sat.)10:00-17:00

Tel:02-28382355

http://blog.yam.com/tids

The exhibition of Taiwan Indigo Dying Society in Shanghai

2008-10-07T23:43:00.005+08:00

Taiwan Indigo Dying Society were invented by a Shanghai's company.

There were the exhibition and also auction.

The handcraft from Taiwan

This exhibtion had a lot of people to visit, and a lot of people asked about the method !

They appreciated the art works！

Sara---Kitchen paper goes indigo

2008-10-07T22:37:00.006+08:00

Sara is a Swede, and she came to Taiwan for working in Taiwanese company in September, 2007.

She noted Sozan Indigo Art in English and information about "shibori" by searching internet.

She is interested at the craft, so she connected with Prof.Chen through e-mail, and also invented Sozan Indigo.

So, she came to learn the technics about once a season.

In May(2008), she brought the kitchen paper to go indigo and used the "shibori" technics!

The results of works is good!

The last one is from my bathroom at the hotel where she hung them up to dry over night.

She said that it was a bit sad to leave Taiwan knowing that she might not come back at least not in my work. she was busy in another project in Sweden.

Now, the Taiwan Indigo Dying Society were properly displayed in the exhibition on 10/2.

Sara sent on 9/19, and it received by Prof. Chen on 9/23.

Both of Sara and Prof. Chen surprised that it has reached Taiwan within such a short time.

Sara thought that it is almost like sending a parcel within Sweden.

Sara's works will be exhibited with ours in Sin-chu.

She will go back to Taiwan in November.

So, she will be in Taiwan between 4th and 21st of November.

2008/09/20 Indigo DIY at Meimen Qigong and Culture Center

2008-09-28T20:30:00.005+08:00

The Indigo Dyeing DIY：9/20(Sat.)14:00-17:00

There were around 20 persons coming to experience!

The students took the picture with Pro. Lin

Indigo Exhibition of Taiwan Indigo Dyeing Society (T.I.D.S) at Meimen Qigong and Culture Center

Date: 8/12(Tue.)~11/7(Fri.)

Location：B1F., No.192, Dongguang Rd., East District, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

Tel：（03）574-5874

Open time: 11:00A.M~8:30P.M, except Monday that is resting day.

Welcom to visit the exhibition!

2008/09/06-10/05 Zhu-Zhen Lin's Indigo Exhibition

2008-09-28T19:59:00.008+08:00

Welcome to visit！

Time：9/6(Sat.)-10/5(Sun.)

Location：1F., No.806, Sec. 5, Jhongshan N. Rd., Shihlin District, Taipei City 111, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
The Taiwan Indigo Society' Center of Taipei Exhibit (Sozan Indigo Art Shop)

The Party:9/6(Sat.)14：00

On the open ceremony, there were a lot of flower.

The Lecture:9/6(Sat.)14：30~16:00(Happy Life and The Life of Indigo)
The Dyeing DIY：9/13(Sat.)10:00-17:00

Tel:02-28382355
http://blog.yam.com/tids

Everybody took the picture with Zhu-Zhen Lin, and celebrate this exhibition!

2008/8/12-2008/11/7Indigo Exhibition of Taiwan Indigo Dyeing Society (T.I.D.S) at Meimen Qigong and Culture Center

2008-08-13T16:00:00.005+08:00

8/12--11/7
Taiwan Indigo Dyeing Society (T.I.D.S) held a exhibition with Meimen Qigong and Culture Center in Hsinchu City.

Take a glance of the exhibition

Different colors of art work presents in this exhibition

Beyond the galaxy

Raining season

Date: 8/12(Tue.)~11/7(Fri.)

Location：B1F., No.192, Dongguang Rd., East District, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

Tel：（03）574-5874

Open time: 11:00A.M~8:30P.M, except Monday that is resting day.

Welcom to visit the exhibition!

The Poster and Opening Ceremony of Chien -huei Chen's Natural Dyeing Exhibition

2008-07-28T13:10:00.006+08:00

Chien -huei Chen's Natural Dyeing Exhibition

Welcome to visit！

The poster is designed by Miss Ke-Mei

Time：7/26(Sat.)-8/31(Sun.)

Location：1F., No.806, Sec. 5, Jhongshan N. Rd., Shihlin District, Taipei City 111, Taiwan (R.O.C.)---The Taiwan Indigo Society' Center of Taipei Exhibit (Sozan Indigo Art Shop)

7/26 Opening Ceremony

There are some new friends participating in this ceremony.
Art works of the exhibition are about daily supplies.
Welcome to visit !

The Natural Dyeing DIY：8/2(Sat.)14:00-17:00

Tel:02-28382355

http://blog.yam.com/tids

7/26(Sat.)-8/31(Sun.)The Exhibition of Chien -huei Chen's Natural Dyeing

2008-07-17T14:16:00.005+08:00

The Exhibition of Chien -huei Chen's Natural Dyeing

Welcome to visit！

Time：7/26(Sat.)-8/31(Sun.)

Location：1F., No.806, Sec. 5, Jhongshan N. Rd., Shihlin District, Taipei City 111, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
The Taiwan Indigo Society' Center of Taipei Exhibit (Sozan Indigo Art Shop)

The Party:7/26(Sat.)14：00

The Lecture: 7/26(Sat.)14：30~16:00(Chien -huei Chen-My Experience of The Natural Dyeing)
The Natural Dyeing DIY：8/2(Sat.)14:00-17:00

Tel:02-28382355

http://blog.yam.com/tids

2008/06/18 The Sozan Indigo Lecture and DIY at Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology

2008-07-04T09:25:00.003+08:00

2008/06/18

Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology hold a lecture and DIY.

14:30-15:00 Professor Lee Jui-tsung had Indigo Lecture.

15:00-17:00 Pro. Ling-hsiang Chen hold a DIY.

The quest for woad (T.I.D.S.)– an excursion to the Highland Farm

2008-06-07T23:54:00.006+08:00

Taiwan Indigo Dyeing Society in November 2006 attended the International Symposium on Natural Dyes held in India and learned that in Europe the Isatis tinctoria dyeing was an important cultural industry from the medieval times. Isatis tinctoria, primarily used in wool dyeing, had long been a major dye for blue across countries of Europe before indigo was introduced to Europe. Defeated by the Indian indigo and later by the synthetic indigo in the early 20^th century, it was banished as nothing important for almost over one hundred years. Now it is being re-cultivated in small amounts in Germany and France.

In August 2007, Taiwan Indigo Dyeing Society has secured seeds from La Rochelle and Montpellier in southern France. As woad can only grow in temperate weather, the society has collaborated with the Highland Experimental Farm of National Taiwan University to experiment the cultivation of woad in Taiwan. The seeds sprouted and grew well in the mid-altitude, temperate environment of the mountains, and the leaves were successively harvested after a six-month period. The results of the experiment were made public on May 25, unveiling the seeming mystery of the plant to people here, some of whom have never heard of or seen woad.The project host Professor Lee Jui-tsung has pointed out that woad can grow to a height of around 1.5m to 2m with large leaves that resemble those of spinach. It flowers in April and May every year with yellow blooms, creating a pleasing sight. As the leaves would become smaller during the blooming season, they must be picked before flowering and made into dry woad balls for storage.

To produce woad balls, the leaves are first crushed, and ground in a grinding bowl or a mortar with a stone or wooden pestle. Then the crushed leaves are kneaded with hands into balls, each of which weighs around 500g. After the balls have completely absorbed the excess of the sap left in the bowel, they are left to rest for 14 to 20 days in the sun to be dry through. Each dry woad ball weighs around 60g.

To build woad vats, 700g of woad balls are again broken into small pieces, 5 liters of lye (pH9.5) or cow urine is added and also 50g of glucose and 25g of sake. All the ingredients are mixed well and left to set for 5 to 7 days. When the surface of the vat hast turned shining with blue bubbles floating, the vat can be used.

The Woad Dyeing Presentation staged at National Taiwan University’s Highland Experimental Farm on May 25, 2008 provided a comprehensive view into the European traditional hand-crafted woad dye production process, beginning with woad cultivation, then woad ball making, and finally vat building and dyeing. Woad dyeing distinctly differs from the indigo dyeing in Taiwan. The former is mainly used on wool yarns and the latter is on cotton or linen fabrics.

The cow urine was supplied by National Taiwan University Livestock Farms, the strong smell of which was really hard to stand. Besides, when kneading the woad balls, they sent out a pungent and distinct smell. However, as everything is new to the audient, they enjoyed themselves very much, especially children. Ms. Chuang Ya-fang of National Taiwan University Highland Farm, National Taiwan University said that the wool used for dyeing came from the adorable sheep at nearby Cingjing Veterans Farm.

The successful experiment on the cultivation of European Isatis tinctoria in the Highland Experimental Farm suggests that the mid altitude mountainous areas of Taiwan is ideal for the growth of woad, which has opened up a new managing way to the mountainous recreational farms. For the people who are fond of indigo dyeing and eager to learn more of this ancient dye, the National Taiwan University’s Highland Experiment Farm will be a good place to visit.

2008/06/02 The new horizon of Indigo -Ling-hsiang Chen

2008-05-29T22:33:00.004+08:00

Name: The new horizon of Indigo

Date：2008/06/02

Time：18：30 ~ 21：00

Location：Auditorium, at Yuan Ze University Art Activity Center 7F

Lecturer：Pro. Ling-hsiang Chen, who is the founder of Sozan Indigo Art

Welcome to the lecture....

2008.05.19-2008.06.21The Exhibition at Yuan Ze University Art Center

2008-05-28T23:27:00.006+08:00

2008.05.19-2008.06.21

Ling-hsiang Chen has exhibition at Yuan Ze University Art Center

Address: Yuandong Rd., Jhongli City, Taoyuan County 320, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

Phone number: 03-4638800#2391, Miss Xie

Open time: Monday to Thursday 09:00-19:00
　　　　　 Friday 09:00-17:00
　　　　　 Saturday 10:00-14:00
　　　　　 Sunday and holiday are closed.

More information in this website

http://www.yzu.edu.tw/yzu/art/chinese/center/exposition/2008-0519/index.html

In the website, there are virtual exhibition site

Welcome and Enjoying the exhition...

2008/5/6-2008/11/1 Indigo Exhibition of Taiwan Indigo Dyeing Society (T.I.D.S) at Meimen Qigong and Culture Center

2008-05-12T19:35:00.003+08:00

5/6 ----11/7
Taiwan Indigo Dyeing Society (T.I.D.S) has Indigo Exhibition at Meimen Qigong and Culture Center.

@ 5/6--8/8 in Taipei

Location:5F., No.104, Sec. 1, Jhonghua Rd., Jhongjheng District, Taipei City 100, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

Tel：（02）2311-7212

Open time:11:00A.M~8:30P.M, except Monday that is resting day.

@ 8/12--11/7 in Hsinchu City

Location：B1F., No.192, Dongguang Rd., East District, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

Tel：（03）574-5874

Open time:11:00A.M~8:30P.M, except Monday that is resting day.

3/28~3/30 A Fair in the National Musuem of History

2008-03-31T16:49:00.003+08:00

3/28~3/30
Sozan Indigo Art has a stall in the National Musuem of History.

News!

2008-03-17T20:17:00.003+08:00

Congratulations Ms. Zhu Zhen and Ms. Li Gan!

Their productions are sold in Canada. Congratulations!

2008.02.05~02.15 Sozan Indigo Art in Vancouver

2008-02-14T14:44:00.006+08:00

Sozan Indigo Art makes a Lunar New Year Exhibition in Vancouver, Canada.

During the tradition Lunar New Year Time, Sozan Indigo Art studio is invited to participate in the celebration activities.

Indigo-art works created by dyers in Taiwan are shown in the gallery of the Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Center from Feb. 7 to Feb. 15.

DIY classes are given in the center as well as some local elementary schools to introduce to the people of Canada.

The indigo, from Taiwan, the oldest dye human beings have ever used.

2008.02.11 Hastings Elementary School

2008-02-13T16:58:00.002+08:00

2008.02.09 The Canada trip - UBC Botanical Garden

2008-02-13T16:09:00.005+08:00

2008.02.09 The Canada Trip - MAIWA Handprints

2008-02-13T16:02:00.003+08:00

2008.02.08 TCCS Fundraising Gala

2008-02-13T15:39:00.003+08:00

2008.02.09 The Canada Trip in Whistler

2008-02-12T15:16:00.001+08:00

Go skiing! Go skiing in Whistler.

snow white...

Go! Go! Go skiing...

2008.02.08 Vancouver World Journal

2008-02-12T14:48:00.000+08:00

Congratulations!
Prof. Lee was posted at Vancouver World Journal.
The paper introduced the Myth of Indigo a little bit.

2008.02.04 Preparing Exhibition at Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society

2008-02-12T14:23:00.000+08:00

Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society
2/5~2/15 Indigo Exhibition

Indigo and Snow White

2008-02-04T16:10:00.000+08:00

Taiwan Indigo Dyeing Society (T.I.D.S) will participate in Taiwan cultural Festival held during Chinese New Year in Vancouver, Canada.

Prof. Lee, Prof. Chen, and Prof. Shao has arrived Vancouver.

Prof. Lee will be invited to held some lectures by some of Canada elementary school.

Prof. Chen and Prof. Shao will open dyeing workshops to the people of the city.

The works by the members of the society will be exhibited.

Wish everything will be just fine and good luck!

Happy Chinese New year!

The First Trip in 2008

2008-01-21T16:56:00.000+08:00

Taiwan Indigo Dyeing Society (T.I.D.S), invited by Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society will participate in Taiwan cultural Festival held during Chinese New Year in Vancouver, Canada.

The works by the members of the society will be exhibited and dyeing workshops will be open to the people of the city. Though the weather is rather cold in Canada, we are expecting enthusiastic participation from the Canadian people.

Sozan Indigo Art's New Season

2007-11-30T14:03:00.000+08:00

As winter is coming, Sozan Indigo adds to blue other colors, making the air of the shop feels warmer and easier to stay in during the cold weather time. New products are available including scarf(200cm x 65cm in red, yellow, black, orange, green, purple and so on.

Welcome and enjoy a good shopping time in Sozan Indigo Art.

2007/10/10Creative Designs 105

2007-11-02T13:24:00.000+08:00

Sun Color Culture Publishing Co. published on 2007/10/10.

There are 77 design shops' example. The 60th example is Sozan Indigo Art in P.162-P.163.

There are the designer, design items, products, e-mail and location.

2007 International Exhibition of National Dye For Invitation and Exchange in Daegu

2007-11-02T12:51:00.000+08:00

Prof. Kim,Ji-Hee is the president of the Society of Korean Natural Dyeing and the director of Museum of Natural Dye Arts.

Invited 8 foreign artist (one is from America; one is from Finland;one is from Bangladesh;two are from Janpan;two are from Malaysia;one is from Taiwan)

Ling-hsiang Chen---From the Depths

material:Cotton,Indigo

size:115*285cm

Ruby Ghuzavi---Handwoven Jamdani desing sampler in natural indigo

1.Daegu Exhibition(2007.9.11~2007.9.16) in Daegu Culture & Arts Center

2.Ulsan Exhibition(2007.9.21~2007.9.27) in Ulsan Culture & Arts Center

In 2007 September, an exhibtion in the Lin Family Mansion and Garden

2007-10-14T00:15:00.000+08:00

In 2007 September, T.I.D.S and students from Sozan Indigo Art Studio held an exhibtion in the Lin Family Mansion and Garden.

There were also DIY partys in the garden.

During the Tung Flower Festival, members of T.I.D.S working with Sozan Indigo Art held an exhibition on indigo art in Hsinchu

2007-10-13T23:38:00.000+08:00

On 2007 January 28th, Sozan Indigo Art was set up in1F., No.806, Sec. 5, Jhongshan N. Rd., Shihlin District, Taipei City 111, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

2007-10-13T23:31:00.000+08:00

In 2006 November, attending UNESCO in India

2007-10-13T23:27:00.000+08:00

On 2006 Aug. 22th,Dr. Jenny Balfour-Paul made a lecture in the National Palace Museum

2007-10-13T23:20:00.000+08:00

On 2006 Aug. 22th,Dr. Jenny Balfour-Paul made a lecture on the word indigo history in the National Palace Museum.

Ms. Ling-Hsiang Chen was the translator.

Eight lectures and classes on indigo dyeing were held in National Taiwan Museum from 2006 July to September

2007-10-13T22:54:00.000+08:00

Ling Hsiang Chen held an exhibition on Indigo art in Taichung County Cultural Center from Oct. 7th to Oct.29, 2006

2007-10-13T16:44:00.000+08:00

Welcome to Taiwan！Dr. Jenny Balfour-Paul

2007-09-24T14:17:00.000+08:00

Dr। Jenny Balfour-Paul will arrive in Taiwan on August 11. She will deliver three lectures on indigo culture around the world and takes part in a panel discussion.

The first two lectures are on the morning of August 13 and the panel discussion is on the afternoon of the same day in the Taipei County Hakka Museum, Sansia. The third lecture is given in the National Palace Museum on the morning of August 15 from 10:00 to 12:00.
We wish her a pleasant flight.

Welcome to Taiwan！

Taiwan Indigo Dyeing Society was established on JulY 4th, 2006

2007-09-24T13:13:00.000+08:00

Taiwan Indigo Dyeing Society was established.

Though raining, lots of people came.

Da-Shi indigo DIY fair

2007-09-24T12:33:00.000+08:00

On April 21 and 22, an indigo dying DIY fair was held in Da chi. Four teachers were sent by the Taiwn Indigo Dyeing Society to teach people there how to do shibori and stenciled works to dye with indigo. The works of Sozan Indigo Art were also displayed on the old street of Da Chi.

The indigo dyed products by Sozan Indigo Art

Exhibition

2007-09-11T11:39:00.000+08:00

Sozan Indigo Art studio has arranged an exhibition of indigo dyed works in the gallery of Sin-chu County 's Cultural Affairs Bureau on April 22 ~May 20.

The artists are all members of the Taiwan Indigo Dyeing Society.

The subject is the Tung flower.

Every piece of creation carries the artist's individuality, which makes the exhibition versatile in presentation...

The works in the Gallary.

A craft fair before Office of the President

2007-09-11T11:33:00.000+08:00

On May 6, a craft fair was held in the square before Office of the President.

Over 40 stalls were set. Sozan Indigo Art was among them.।

We are very happy that our products earned much praise.

Some products by Sozan Indigo Art displayed in the fair.

Indigo Dyeing Class in the National Taiwan University

2007-09-11T11:19:00.000+08:00

The lecture on the techniques of indigo dyeing given by Ling-hsiang Chen

in the National Taiwan University on May 23.।

Ling-hsiang Chen was giving a lecture on the techniques of indigo

dyeing in the National Taiwan University.

Students were dyeing their works in the indigo vats for the first time in their life.

Students opened their indigo tie-dyed works.

France Trip(3)

2007-08-15T14:59:00.000+08:00

7/25
We are in Mr. Michel Garcia's Natural Dyes Botanical Garden. It is a very well-planned garden.

France Trip(2)

2007-08-15T14:24:00.001+08:00

7/17~7/20
We are in Prof. Dominique Cardon’s farmhouse in Mimes.

France Trip(1)

2007-08-15T13:59:00.000+08:00

7/6 Miss China Beauty Room

7/17~7/20 Prof. Dominique Cardon in Mimes

7/25 Lauris - Natural Dyes Botanical Garden ( Michel Garcia)

In July, 2007, I had my first exhibition of indigo art abroad in Paris. The gallery is Miss China Beauty located in 3, rue Francaise of first zone, quite a few persons came on the opening day, July 6. Some of them show great interest in the dye--indigo, which, though is the oldest, now has become the newest to almost all dyers in the world. A lady told me, “The color feels so peaceful. The world is really in need of things that are peaceful.”

On the opening day of the exhibition

Indigo from Taiwan

2007-08-07T16:42:00.000+08:00

Chen Ling-hsiang will be in Paris to have an exhibition of indigo art during July 2007 (from July 6th to July 30th).
With the exhibition, there will be workshops on every weekend (July 7th, 14th , 21st, and 28th) and meetings with the French dyeing artists.The whole activity is arranged by Bonnie Tchien HY and held in her gallery Miss China’s Beauty Room.

Taiwan Designers’ Week 2007

2007-08-07T16:18:00.001+08:00

From June 29th to July 4th is the Taiwan Designers’ Week 2007. There are 100 designers selected as being worth visiting in Taiwan. Sozan Indigo Art has the honor of being one of them, and numbered 8 in the map of the Guide Book.