This week, Vanessa facilitated the second instalment of the Cooking and Culturing Colour workshop series. We were able to see the results of the food waste dyeing we did last week and experimented with modifying the colour of the fabric using different acidic, basic, and iron solutions. We used everything from soda ash to lemon to a DIY rusty nail iron modifier. Using both pH strips and a digital pH pen we were able to test and document the pH before beginning the process. We also learned how to streak agar plates and prepare bacterial liquid cultures using sterile technique.

Next week, we will see the results of our agar plate and liquid bacterial cultures and will use these cultures to over-dye and print on some of the food waste fabric samples we created in the first session.

For more information about Vanessa’s research and practice, check out her Instagram page.