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The Canadian
Society for Asian Arts, in collaboration with the Vancouver Museum and
Vancouver-Yokohama Sister City Society, were pleased to present the
exhibition "All About Blue: The Colour that Changed the World"
from October 15, 1999 to April 9, 2000 at the Vancouver Museum.
"All
About Blue" traced the origins of blue, "the colour that
changed the world," through focusing on indigo and cobalt, the
colouring substances for textiles and ceramics. Textiles, costumes,
fashion, trade wares, and jewelry created from a wide range of
techniques and materials were presented. The story of blue, from
turquoise blue Egyptian amulets dating to the time of the Pharoahs to
blue jeans and blues music, is a fascinating tale. The exhibit
presented highlights in the history of blue through objects, familiar
and new that pervade Asia and the West. The primary focus of the
exhibition, and the catalogue that accompanied it, was indigo and
cobalt. These twin substances, one vegetable and one mineral, were
largely responsible for the blue textiles and ceramics created before
the advent of synthesized blue colourants. With a cross-cultural
perspective, the exhibit examined the uses of blue in the ancient world
and contrasted these with current applications and designs for the
future. The appearance of blue in the world and its journey across
cultures and time provides a story of cultural influences, from East to
West and back again that is still reflected in the blue-patterned
coffee cups and denim workwear we use today.
"All
About Blue" has been recreated in "The Legacy of
Blue", a travelling exhibition that features over
seventy-five objects selected from "All About Blue"
and includes both contemporary and historical works in cloth, ceramic,
glass and other materials. Indigo, cobalt and other blue colourants are
featured in works that span Asia, Europe, South America and North
America.
Featured in the
travelling exhibition is the Indigo Millennial Quilt created by high
school students in Vancouver, Canada. The quilt was commissioned by the
CSAA and Vancouver-Yokohama Sister City Society as an
educational-cultural project. Students in selected high schools
prepared images on ten inch squares of textile, with which they later
created wax resist indigo designs using a traditional Japanese Indigo
dye technique. The students were asked to draw their ideas about the
year 2000 and beyond. The Millennial Themes included people, jobs,
clothing, buildings, transportation, food, trees, plants and animals.
The quilt will be presented to the Mayor of Yokohama in recognition of
Yokohamas's continuing relations with Vancouver.
"The
Legacy of Blue" is a fascinating story that is both visually
and intellectually stimulating. Each venue that hosts the exhibit has
the opportunity to use blue items in their collections or community to
enhance the exhibit. To find out if there will be a venue in your area,
please click on Travelling Exhibits and Schedules on the main page. To order the catalogue
"All About Blue" please click on Past
Events and Publications.
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