We are CELEBRATING colour and each month I will introduce a different colour palette and story. I will be presenting my project Colour Provenance, which is palette made up of eight ancient colours from the animal, plant and mineral world including Saffron: a golden colour; cave and primitive colours such as natural Ochres; first ever used green Malachite and blue Azurite and so many other fascinating stories and origins behind natural materials and colours.
Different colours, shades and tints have the power to evoke mood and emotion, but it seems that the origins and journeys of these pigments are often forgotten. Today, colour is a commodity industrially produced for mass consumption. However, there was a time when the story of origin was integral to colour identity, the narrative of provenance possessing a power and a sense of magic.
Colour Provenance is a visual investigation and interpretation into the ancient origins of colour pigment. Through developing a thorough understanding and knowledge of how colour was once sourced, crafted and utilised in the past, I hope to both celebrate the ancient rituals and alchemic techniques and encourage us to once again appreciate colour provenance.
A collection of bespoke vessels was designed to display, highlight and incase colour pigment for the Colour Provenance project. The extracted pigments are elegantly incased in sculptural colour co-ordinated vessels or paired with the original materials.
Each piece was carefully handcrafted using most of the materials I have used for manufacturing my colour pigments such as bones, stones, gypsum, limestone, wood, egg shells, copper, brass, glass, etc. I used uncommon materials that in Antiquity were precious and today we discard them very easily.
Photos: Laura Daza
