COLOR FROM THE GROUND | naturally dyed lighting from northern Ghana
We have always worked with undyed materials, letting their natural colors shine. The artists we work with have occasionally used heat to create a deepened toasted color, for instance Mie Kodama's smoked bamboo ikebana basket, and Edgar Perez's toasted carrizo pendant. And we once created a maguey textile installation for Design Week Mexico that was dyed a deep ochre color with persimmon fruit. But for the most part we have shied away from color in favor of texture.
Lately we have become more curious about color and the traditional natural dye techniques used to achieve it. Basketry in West Africa has increasingly shifted to synthetic dyes, which we wanted to avoid. The waste from the dyeing process is typically disposed of into drains and gutters, where it reaches local waterways carrying heavy metals that affect the water, the soil, and the farming that surrounds these communities. We knew when we started thinking about introducing color into the Twenty One Tonnes collection that it needed to be in line with our commitment to environmental responsibility, and that it should tap into the long local tradition of plant and mineral color.
In the Upper East Region of Ghana, women have traditionally painted the walls of their homes with pigments ground from local stone and minerals. The earthen architecture is decorated with black, white, reds and deep browns pressed into wet clay walls by hand in geometric patterns. So we knew that SWOPA had a wealth of knowledge they could direct towards this project.
We wanted to achieve a rich cinnamon color, so SWOPA began by experimenting with traditional sources of natural red-oranges and browns, all native to the region. Camwood (Baphia nitida) is a dense West African hardwood used as a red-orange pigment for centuries, ground into powder and applied to skin for ceremony and rite of passage. It is the ingredient most responsible for the terra cotta tone. Cola nut, the seed of the Cola tree, is offered to guests, exchanged at ceremonies, and used in trade negotiations across West Africa. Dawadawa tree bark comes from Parkia biglobosa, the locust bean tree; its fermented seeds are a staple flavoring across the Sahel, and the bark yields a warm brown that deepened the dye. Guinea corn husk, the outer casing of the sorghum plant, is one of the oldest cultivated crops in West Africa. These all went into the dye pot in different combinations.
It took many attempts to get to a color we all loved. When we felt we had found it, the weavers created a series of small sample baskets to be sure the effect felt right, and finally they wove a limited number of Sienna light shades.
The Sienna pendant takes the form of our Sunhat pendant, a shallow cone that diffuses light broadly. In a rich rusty red-brown, the light carries a different quality. It is available in medium and large sizes, and looks amazing wired with a matching sienna-colored cord (our friend Sam Klemick's brilliant idea).
The Sienna pendant is a limited edition piece, available to view at our Lincoln Heights studio. We highly recommend making an in-person or virtual appointment so you can choose your specific shade before it is wired.