WORKSHOP OF THE WEEK

the end of washing day blues or i'm ready for my close up Mr Lagerfeld

Amongst the extensive array of Chicks on Speed vs. Melbourne Fashion Festival shenanigans currently taking place at Craft Victoria (that's the ladies in some fetching stripes above) we spotted a dye workshop entitled "Indigo Girls" on tomorrow (Wednesday) that we thought might be worth a look or indeed a crack at - and you don't even need to be a lesbian to attend - despite the title.

It's described in the program as " a craft-action dye event that has been performed in Taxco, Mexico and Brooklyn, New York. Participants dye garments in a natural fermentation indigo dye vat. The results are gratifyingly positive, the craft work is non-age or skill level discriminate. Indigo Girls is about auto-fashion empowerment, creativity, identity, and references many ancient cross-cultural textile art techniques, which are often gendered in terms of labour and value." Bugger! If only we'd known that all those times we've whacked some dye and fabric into the sink we'd actually been doing important 'performance art'; we'd have applied for public funding years ago and had ourselves an overseas residency by now! Apparently the finished dyed garments will be hung to dry on a washing line in the Craft Victoria gallery space and will form part of the installation Viva La Craft! or Viva La Washing Line! as we've fondly re-named it. The workshop also involves the good people from Plant Craft Cottage at the Botanical Gardens which can only be a good thing. You've all already missed the "Lump of Clay" workshop with the lovely Irene Grishin Selzer of Iggy & Lou Lou fame (which we're told was a corker and you can follow the link to see what the kids got up to on the day) so you'll have to get in quick if you want to get a seat at the sink... and be sure you're lippied up in your best outfit because there's going to be a film crew recording every last wring.

WHEN WHERE AND HOW MUCH YOU ASK?

Wednesday 18 March 2009, 1-4pm @ Craft Victoria, 31 Flinders Lane, Melbourne (phone 03 9650 7775) and you'll need to bring your own light coloured clothes natural fibre garments to dye, and your own protective gear as well. It will cost you $20 if you're a Craft Victoria or Plant Craft Cottage Members; and $35 for all those 'Non Members' out there. Bookings are imperative because as we warned, places are limited.