Textiles and colors in interaction: Looking back on the conference "The Craft Origins of Colour and Its Orderings" (TUD, October 21st to 23rd,2024)

The global textile industry, especially the dyeing industry, is currently facing a wide range of challenges: its impact on the environment and the society, especially in the Global South, is enormous. These developments are being addressed by a growing number of local and international initiatives that are looking for ways to implement more sustainable manufacturing processes, and to achieve better working conditions through traditional practices and craftsmanship. However, the practical knowledge of these techniques is increasingly being lost. Where human memory is lacking, the material evidence of these practices is of particular importance. Historical collections around the world hold fragile examples of dyed textiles and traditional pigments telling the story of their own production, while at the same time highlighting the central role that color plays in all human societies.

To explore the potential of historical collections for the current textile industry was the goal of the conference "The Craft Origins of Color and Its Orderings" , which took place from 21st to 23rd  October 2024 at the Color Research and Theory Collection of TU Dresden. Initiated by the members of ongoing projects, including The Knownable Project (Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin), the DFG-funded "Epistomologies of Craft" and the Handloom Futures initiative (India), the events brought together stakeholders from research and practice in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary dialog.

© TU Dresden, Kustodie

Chaired by Annapurna Mamipudi and Friedrich Steinle (TU Berlin), Kirsten Vincenz and Jörg Zaun (TU Dresden) and Vivek S Olak and Gauri Nori (Handloom Futures, India), participants from Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and India discussed current issues relating to the dyeing of textiles, from archiving and materiality to the standardization of dyes and pigments and dyeing techniques.

Visits to collections, such as a guided tour of the Historical Dye Collection in the König -Bau of TU Dresden, rounded off the program. In a practical workshop, Abdulaziz A Khatri and Odelu Vurugonda demonstrated dyeing with alizarin.

The multifaceted and stimulating event concluded with a look at future collaborations that promise to bring the topic of color even further into focus, both from an international and an interdisciplinary perspective.