BUAISOU

17 Nov

Written By Vickie Hayward

BUAISOU
Indigo Hands
Installation, 2019

London Craft Week Indigo dyeing workshops led by BUAISOU.

BUAISOU products set up for shoppers in Kiosk N1C.

No surgical masks made from banners.

BUAISOU indigo leaves, grown on their farm in Tokushima.

Dried BUAISOU indigo leaves, grown on their farm in Tokushima.

Dyeing in BUAISOU's indigo vat on their farm in Tokushima.

BUAISOU's indigo dyed fabric.

Public realm curation and commissioning for King’s Cross, ‘Indigo Hands’ by artisanal collective BUAISOU was a series of handmade and hand-dyed banners installed for London Craft Week 2019. Our first foray into an ongoing initiative that explores regenerative textiles, reuse and circular design.

Founded in 2012, BUAISOU is preserving and reviving the tradition of Japanese Indigo. Located in Tokushima Prefecture, an area of Japan known for producing Awa indigo, BUAISOU does everything from indigo cultivation and creating dye to designing and making products; a super transparent end-to-end production system. The indigo dye of BUAISOU uses a traditional technique called Jigoku date ('making hell'). Jigoku date involves mixing wood lye, bran and shell ash, followed by a fermentation process. This is one of the world's most complex dye production processes.

Alongside the installation, the BUAISOU team hosted a series of dyeing workshops, drawing in attendees from all over the UK. After the installation, half of the banners were sold as interior artworks and the remainder turned into non-surgical face masks by Kiosk N1C, with all the proceeds going to support the youth charity Mentivity.

Company
BUAISOU, Beams & Co, Kiosk N1C, Zetteler and Mentivity.

Place
King’s Cross for King’s Cross Central Partnership Ltd & Related Argent.

Photography
John Sturrock & BUAISOU