Testing Testing II

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Artist: Barbara Shapiro

Title: Testing Testing II

Attribution: Testing Testing II

Year: 2012

Materials: Indigo test strips, strips of recycled cloth from 7 countries, coiled on wire paper core with waxed linen

Dimensions: 7 Elements 12" W by various lengths up to 26 inches. Installation is 8 feet on the wall

Image Statement: I saved the test strips from 25 years of maintaining the indigo vats at SFSU. Testing Testing II displays seven coiled recycled indigo disks, each trailing its working element in a nod to technique. This installation speaks of the universality of indigo with each disk enlivened by bits of multi-colored fabrics from a part of the world where indigo has a presence. It also honors friendship through these scraps of colored cloth gleaned from the ragbags of willing friends from these places. Discarded textiles from Sweden, France, India, Indonesia, West Africa (Belgium), Japan and the US all came to me with family stories that enchanted me as I slowly wove them into a new life, honoring the past and reshaping the future.