Bogolan

Mudcloths

In October 2018, I traveled to Mali to practice an ancient technique, using mineral mud-dye. Employing natural materials such as fermented mud (Bambara: bɔgɔ) from river Niger and African birch (Bambara: ngálǎma) for the making of 'Bogolan'. The combination of the previous two, meaning the application of mud over the ngálǎma dyed textile, creates a chemical reaction which is visible when the mud is washed off, leaving the processed areas with a beautiful rich black tone.