Bògòlanfini, the cultural art of dyeing with mud

Inigo arts-out of studio

My mud dyeing workshops are influenced by the beautiful cultural art of Bògòlanfini, a form of art where narrow strips of cloth are hand woven on looms, traditionally done by men.

The strips of dyed cloth are then sewn together to create larger pieces, before the cloth is naturally treated and designed by women using fermented mud.

The process is time consuming, but results in beautiful textiles featuring colors of grays, browns, reds and blacks.

The art originated from the Malian people of West African, the resulting cloth is commonly called “Mud Cloth”.

In Nebraska, I was faced with the challenge of finding natural sources to treat the cloth, as well developing a way of fermenting the mud using natural sources and Nebraska soil. I found a way and have been making and fermenting mud for more than three years after first learning this beautiful art from Aboubakar Fofana, a multidisciplinary Malian-born natural dyer.

During this workshop participants can hand draw or use my handmade stencils (designed with varying motifs) to mud dye silk fabric.