Out Of Blue

C-PLATFORM × Liu Shuiwei

Project Description

Stemming from a fervent love toward the variegated colour of blue, Liu Shuwei embarked on a pilgrimage between Yunnan and Guizhou, in search of the indigenous craftsmen who are still practising the conventional method of blue-dye. He was trying to understand blue-dye outside the context of industrial system, to gain more insight of it amongst mountains and waters and in its more natural state. The outcome was gratifying indeed. The variegated colour of blue and blue-dye are cherished spontaneously and purely out of fondness, and were well preserved as a result. He felt especially blessed by encountering people who were willing to share their secrets. Accompanying them, he was lucky enough witnessed the entire producing process from gathering to soaking et cetera. Video recorded and represented with a sympathetic eye, aided further by his keen sense of perception and repeated thinking and practising, Liu was able to obtain an even more systematic and deeper grasp of the method.

Blue-dye is a living blue, concerning spirituality. Liu Shuwei aspired to achieve a multidimensionally fresh life of blue-dye with comprehension and awe, by creativities fusing design with image, and was also willing to share with more lovers of blue. Indigo blue is hypersensitive to temperature、time factor and sunlight, at one time lively, at another wearisome. All these factors amount to sometime completely different ranges of blue colours which resulted from varied working conditions.

Related Information

Liu Shuwei

Born in Tangshan, China, now lives and works in Shanghai.

Barcelona International Photography Festival BIPA 2015 finalists