Lecture Performance
30 min
Performance documentation, Echos of Indigo Waters, Pharma Cartography,‘ organized by the Unofficial Hiking Society AG and Multiwatch, Basel, 2024
Image Credits: Baran Ceylan, Stella Meris and Nika Timashkova
The lecture performance “Echo of Indigo Waters” traces the history of Indigo, illustrating how this dye, essential to both transport and dyeing, connects times and continents through its trade history. The journey begins in West Africa, where Indigo dyeing, a prestigious craft led by women, is deeply tied to cultural identity. It then moves to 19th-century India, where the blue pigment became a symbol of exploitation under British colonial rule, with women farmers playing key roles in the Indigo Revolts. In Europe, Indigo’s story passes through Genua, the birthplace of jeans for dockworkers, and Amsterdam, a hub for 17th-century textile printing. These fabrics were traded across Europe and exported back to India, Indonesia, and West Africa. The narrative reaches Basel, highlighting the role of the blue dye in the 19th-century textile industry and exploring women’s evolving roles, from dyers to industrial workers. The transition to synthetic Indigo is marked by J. R. Geigy AG, with Elsa Mühlethaler, the company’s first female lab assistant, symbolizing the shift from traditional craft to modern science. “Echo of Indigo Waters” honors the overlooked contributions of countless women, showing how global textile trade weaves together continents and stories.
The performance took place during the performance series ‚Pharma Cartography,‘ organized by the Unofficial Hiking Society AG and Multiwatch in September 2024, in Basel.
Lecture Performance
30 min
Image Credits: Baran Ceylan, Stella Meris and Nika Timashkova
Performance documentation, Echos of Indigo Waters, Pharma Cartography,‘ organized by the Unofficial Hiking Society AG and Multiwatch, Basel, 2024
The lecture performance “Echo of Indigo Waters” traces the history of Indigo, illustrating how this dye, essential to both transport and dyeing, connects times and continents through its trade history. The journey begins in West Africa, where Indigo dyeing, a prestigious craft led by women, is deeply tied to cultural identity. It then moves to 19th-century India, where the blue pigment became a symbol of exploitation under British colonial rule, with women farmers playing key roles in the Indigo Revolts. In Europe, Indigo’s story passes through Genua, the birthplace of jeans for dockworkers, and Amsterdam, a hub for 17th-century textile printing. These fabrics were traded across Europe and exported back to India, Indonesia, and West Africa. The narrative reaches Basel, highlighting the role of the blue dye in the 19th-century textile industry and exploring women’s evolving roles, from dyers to industrial workers. The transition to synthetic Indigo is marked by J. R. Geigy AG, with Elsa Mühlethaler, the company’s first female lab assistant, symbolizing the shift from traditional craft to modern science. “Echo of Indigo Waters” honors the overlooked contributions of countless women, showing how global textile trade weaves together continents and stories.
The performance took place during the performance series ‚Pharma Cartography,‘ organized by the Unofficial Hiking Society AG and Multiwatch in September 2024, in Basel.
