SHIMA SHIMA

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SHIMA SHIMA

Shima-Shima is Japanese for stripes. This project was done as a part of a two week workshop on Indigo resist dyeing in my fourth semester where I explored the technique of Arashi Shibori in depth. The effects that can be achieved from this technique are quite magical. The excitement of releasing the fabric after the dyeing process is addictive. Each piece is a surprise, a unique piece of cloth. here the purpose was to be able to achieve perfection in larger pieces of fabric.

Diagonal Arashi shibori on alternate strips of cotton and organdy fabric stitched together.

Explorations to see the effect on different fabrics (organdie, organza, cotton and jute) stitched and accordion folded before dyeing.

Here, I combined origami with the Arashi shibori technique that results in diagonal stripes to highlight the forms. Due to the varied amounts of dye penetration, I was able to obtain different shades in the shapes created.

I further tried to capture the memory of the fine regular folds to add texture as another dimension to the piece. it expands and contracts to reveal subtle dye variation in the layers of the fabric. The hexagon in the centre is interestingly followed by squares and triangles. Also symmetry achieved here is not only in terms of shape but also in the sense of the dye penetration.