Indigo
I met Linda Zetterman at Capellagården on the Swedish island of Öland, a visit you
can read about in HÅNDVÆRK bookazine no. 9.
At Capellagården, she teaches indigo dyeing,
among other craft skills.
September 2023
During the Stockholm Craft Week, she presents a joint exhibition with the group Parts & Pieces at the gallery @studiotinahellberg, which will also hosts the launch of the latest issue of the HÅNDVÆRK bookazine. You can read about the launch event here
Linda Zetterman tells me that she grew up in a creative family, where it was natural to use colours and textiles in creative pursuits and for communication.
She trained at Capallagården and at Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, among other places.
She explains that she always knew that working with colours and form is her calling. For a while, she worked in the fashion industry, both in Sweden and in an international context. Now, she has found her ideal medium of expression and divides her time between teaching at Capellagården and running Boom craft studio in Stockholm, where she works with utilitarian textiles, textile art and training courses. She also holds courses abroad, most recently, a course in indigo dyeing in the south of France.
A main common theme of her work is a search for sustainable methods, and this is where dyeing with natural pigments comes into the picture.
I understand that you have a broad interest in natural pigments but that you favour indigo in particular, is that correct?
‘Yes, indigo was my path to what has now become a more general interest in natural dyes.
I became interested in indigo during my first visit to India about twenty years ago, while I was still a student. Here I met several textile artisans, including the Khatri family in Kutch, who do hand-block printing.
The temperament in India suits me really well, and I was very inspired by the close, tangible presence of crafts everywhere. When I saw how the patterns were created by means of a needle, hand-carved wooden printing blocks and indigo, I discovered an entirely new textile language. The blue pigments are alive and only get more beautiful with time and wear.
Since 2020, I have been in charge of the cultivation and dyeing project ‘Från frö till färg’ (From seed to colour) at Capellagården. The project aims to improve our knowledge about growing indigo, extracting pigments and dyeing with plant pigments.’
Could you tell me about your activities at Boom craft studio?
‘My colleague Sara Carlsson and I cofounded Boom craft studio in 2019.
We produce pigments and textiles as part of both artistic and artisanal projects in our Stockholm studio and in India, where we work with the printers I met more than 20 years ago, among others. Our textiles are made from organic materials and dyed with natural pigments, and we have no middlemen. Sales are via Instagram, at exhibitions and soon, hopefully, from a web shop.’
And what about Parts & Pieces?
‘In Parts & Pieces, I am one of eight artists and designers. Our common denominator is that our practice is material-based and that we all have a studio space at wip:sthlm.
[Wip:sthlm is an artist community with 71 studios in the Västberga district south of Stockholm.]
With Parts & Pieces, we have created a forum for mutual inspiration, which also lets us exhibit as a group. We see this forum as a dynamic and flexible platform; sometimes, we do activities that involve everybody, and sometimes, we meet in smaller groups.
My contribution to the exhibition during the Stockholm Craft Week at Studio Tina Hellberg is titled In-between and consists of a series of textile panels I call Noter (Notes).
The panels are dyed with indigo and other plant pigments that I grew myself.
In this piece, I explore the relationship between colour, space and composition, which come together to form their own, quiet rhythm.’
Anything new in the pipeline?
‘I am working on a book about hand-block printing and indigo, planned for publication in 2024. If anyone is curious about upcoming workshops, you can stay updated at www.lindazetterman.se.’
Jeg traf Linda Zetterman på Capellagården på Öland, det besøg kan du læse om i HÅNDVÆRK bookazine no. 9. Her underviser hun blandt andet i indigofarvning.
Under Stockholm Craft Week udstiller hun med gruppen Parts & Pieces i galleri @studiotinahellberg hvor også HÅNDVÆRK bookazine lanceres. Det kan du læse om her
Linda Zetterman fortæller at hun er vokset op i en kreativ familie, hvor det er faldet naturligt at skabe og kommunikere ved hjælp af farver og tekstiler.
Selv er hun uddannet på Capallagården og på Konstfack i Stockholm blandt andet.
Hun fortæller også, at hun altid har vist at hendes kald er at arbejde med farver og form. Hun har været forbi modebranchen både i Sverige og internationalt. Nu har hun fundet sin ideelle udtryksform og deler sin tid mellem at være lærer på Capellagården og at have Boom craft Studio i Stockholm, hvorfra hun både arbejder med brugstekstiler, tekstilkunst og kursusvirksomhed. Sidstnævnte praktiserer hun også i international sammenhæng, senest har hun afholdt kursus i indigofarvning i Sydfrankrig.
Fællesnævneren for det hele er en søgen efter bæredygtige metoder, det er her indfarvning med naturlige pigmenter kommer ind i billedet.
Jeg forstårat du er bredt interesseret i naturlige farvepigmenter, men at navnlig Indigo er din ting, er det korrekt?
”Ja, indigofarven var min vej til min nu bredere interesse for naturlig indfarvning.
Jeg begyndte at interessere mig for indigo, da jeg under min studietid for første gang besøgte Indien, det er godt 20 år siden. Her traf jeg flere tekstilhåndværkere blandt andre familien Khatri i Kutch som bloktrykker i hånden.
Indiens temperament passer mig vældig godt og jeg blev meget inspireret af at håndværket var så nærværende. Da jeg så hvordan mønstrene blev født ved hjælp af en nål, de håndskårne trykblokke i træ og indigofarven, åbnede der sig et helt nyt tekstilt sprog for mig. De blå pigmenter er levende og bliver smukkere og smukkere over tid og efter slid.
Jeg har siden 2020 stået for dyrknings-og farveprojektet ”Från frö till färg” på Capellagården. Projektet har til formål at højne vidensniveauet i forholdet til både dyrkning, udvinding af pigmenter og indfarvning med plantepigmenter”.
Vil du fortælle om dine aktiviteter i Boom craft Studio regi?
”Book craft Studio blev grundlagt i 2019 af min kollega Sara Carlsson og mig.
Vi arbejder både kunstnerisk og håndværksmæssigt med produktion af pigmenter og tekstiler, dels i vores atelier i Stockholm, dels i Indien, blandt andet med de trykkere jeg traf for mere end 20 år siden. Vores tekstiler skabes af økologiske materialer og farves med naturlige farvepigmenter og vi arbejder uden mellemled. Salget foregår fra Instagram og på vores udstillinger og forhåbentlig inden længe fra en webshop”
Og i Parts & Pieces regi?
I Parts & Pieces er jeg en af otte kunstnere og designere. Fællesnævneren er, at vores praksis er materialebaseret, og at vi alle har vores atelier hos wip:sthlm.
(Wip:sthlm er et kunstnerfælleskab med 71 pladser i Västberga syd for Stockholm)
Med Parts & Pieces har vi skabt et forum, hvor vi både kan være klangbund for hinanden og har muligheder for at udstille som gruppe. Vi ser det som en dynamisk og foranderlig platform, nogle gange er alle med og nogle gange mødes vi i mindre grupper.
Mine værker på udstillingen under Stockholm Craft Week hos Studio Tina Hellberg bærer med titlen “In-between” og er en række tekstilplader, som jeg har valgt at kalde “Noter”.
Pladerne er farvet med indigo og andre plantepigmenter fra min egen dyrkning.
Jeg har udforsket jeg forholdet mellem farve, rum og kompositionen, som tilsammen skaber en slags stille rytme.
Er der nyt i pipeline?
”Jeg arbejder på en bog om bloktryk og indigo, udgivelsen er planlagt til 2024
Hvis nogen er nysgerrig efter kommende workshops opdaterer jeg løbende på www.lindazetterman.se ”.
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