ISSN 2277-0852; Volume 4, Issue 3, pp. 41-47; June, 2015 Online International Journal of Arts and Humanities ©2015 Online Research Journals Full Length Research Available Online at http://www.onlineresearchjournals.org/IJAH Asoo: An Innovative Print-Dyeing Colouration *Abraham Ekow Asmah1, Vincentia Okpattah1 and Charles Frimpong2 1Department of Integrated Rural Art and Industry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi-Ghana. 2Department of Industrial Art, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi-Ghana. Received 12 January, 2015 Accepted 27 March, 2015 Print colouration has always been more dependent on multidisciplinary exploration, requiring more than knowledge of science and technology. In light of the above, this paper investigates the prospect of using appropriate materials, techniques and a coordination of individual creativity to achieve an innovative print colouration in dyeing. Its emphasis on formulating an innovative chemical resist paste, dubbed the Asoo print paste (comprised of a mixture of sodium hydroxide, sodium hydrosulfite and cassava powdered starch), and a vat dye to produce an Asoo printed dyed fabric using the screen printing technique. This integrative print-and-dye approach was discovered through the experimental and descriptive method and recorded using a qualitative design methodology. The result of the research shows that the Asoo print paste (a term carved out of the lead author's surname) attained a print colouration that produced a multiplicity of watery shadow coloured images mixed with precise and accurate print definitions of discharge-like outline patterns on fabrics via the screen printing technique. The outcome favourably competes with traditional table-dyed fabrics capable of conveying visual distinctions and interprets the communicative dynamics inherent in traditional table-dyed prints that demonstrate innovativeness and harmony. Discussions were based on academic and functional contexts. Once more, the research proved that such innovative prints have tremendous significance for table-dyed design concepts to enhance coloured print-dyed fabrics in the Ghanaian fashion industry. Key words: Asoo print paste, cassava resists printmaking, print dyeing, table-dyed fabrics, screen printing techniques. INTRODUCTION Growth in craftsmanship over the years has borne printing [3]. More than 50% of the world‟s textile prints testimony to mankind‟s innate craving to design on were pigment-printed in 1990 [4]. In pigment printing, substrates with the hope of exhibiting creativity, insoluble pigments have no affinity for the fibre and uniqueness and a sense of identity. And this creative art therefore are fixed onto the textile with binding agents. finds its expression in embracing any method of applying Obviously, unlike pigments, dyes are absorbed into the colour or pattern to a woven textile [1]. Textile fibre and are fixed as a result of their reaction with the embellishment, a creative form of self-expression in fabric fibres. design, uses various media and techniques to produce Over 3000 years ago, mineral pigments were dyed and printed fabrics. It was probably initiated and pulverized with natural binding agents (drying and boiled developed from the far East [2]. Such congealing agents oils, or viscous, aqueous solutions of albumen products like cooked starch, locust bean, tragacanth, British gum and vegetable gums) and „applied‟ to textiles to form or gum Arabic or in mixtures were formerly the main patterns [4]. Even though pigment printing is the oldest thickening agents used to attain fine effects and outlines printing method, its poor application of the adapted in printing. Today, the availability of a wide range of technique, made it unattractive due to its resultant dull excellent organic pigments and of reliable pigment colours, loss of textile character as a result of hardening, binders has led to the increased importance of pigment and poor fastness to wear and washing. To Miles [4] its availability for printing was quite early, but the technique used required improvement. Another important phase *Corresponding Author's E-mail: [email protected]. was the introduction of emulsions as printing paste 42 Online Int J Arts Human thickeners. Examples are as follows; water-in-oil (w/o) emulsions developed in the U.S.A., oil -in- water (o/w) emulsions developed in Europe, and synthetic thickeners which were by far better than the above mentioned thickeners. According to Balagopalan [5], Africans traditionally engage in locally manufactured binders like cooked cassava starch, more commonly used as food or adhesives. It is also used for sizing cotton fabrics and warp yarns to give sheen to colour. Cassava starch has excellent flexibility, but poor stability when cooked Figure 1a). Konkonte paste being stenciled over lace fabric onto a Plain excessively. Cassava starch does not stand prolonged cotton fabric b). A multi-coloured Table-top dyed fabric, made out of konkonte paste boiling, but break down to form a very clear film. Picton applied overlace fabric and Mark [6] wrote that the boiling starch is mixed with a c). A blueTable-top dyed fabric made out of konkonte paste applied little copper sulphate just to extend the level of over lace fabric. preservation. The most developed skills in West Africa are found in Nigeria, where the Yoruba people make adire cloths, extent by the use of “second hand lace” fabrics (used as according to Oparinde [7]. He further reiterates that adire, the stencil in its production) imported into the country. is a resist-dyed cloth produced and worn by the Yoruba The extent of this influence limits the designer‟s creativity people of southwestern Nigeria. The brandadire, means and imposes cultural identity crises in the traditional local “tied and dyed”, first applied to indigo-dyed cloth product. In the context of changing the traditional table decorated with resisting patterns around the turn of the dyeing practices, culture becomes an important factor in twentieth century. Initially, two types of methods of determining the product identity [12]. Indeed a true resisting were used; abireeleso which involves tying and fashion designer possesses the ability to non-verbally stitched design and adireeleko where the starch pastes communicate through the use of symbols and was used. The brand “adire” later was expanded to iconography, the cultural value of a person and transform include a variety of hand-dyed textiles using wax resist the piece of fabric into a work of art [2,13]. Such batik method to produce patterned cloth in anamazing transformational decorative effect is what this study array of dye colours [7]. He further claimed that there are attempts to introduce by looking at the prospect of using different types of resist dying methods used to create customized contemporary Adinkra designed screen in adire cloth designs. Oniko is a method of tying patterns addition to the innovative print-dyeing paste to bring this into the cloth. Eleko designs are stencilled or painted unique colouration to the fore. onto the cloth with starch (usually from cassava or yam). Hitherto the traditional fashion industry in Ghana has While another method, called Alabere, uses raffia to been showing signs of lethargy of using non proverbial stitch designs into the fabric. tabletop dyeing fabrics which are contrary to the well- The practise of using cooking starch as a resist known norms of symbolic African clothing. In the light of medium is not new as stated above, especially in Yoruba this empirical assertion to reverse this trend, the research land of western Nigeria [8]. The design is created by a question posed was; what innovative print-dyeing paste process called resist dyeing, which prevents dye from applied on a customized design screen onto the fabric, being absorbed by some parts of the cloth. Adetoro [8] using the tabletop dyeing technique can attain a affirms that such technique referred to as adireelekois colouration capable of communicating the cultural value either formed by free-hand painting of cooked cassava of its citizenry? In response to this rationale, preliminary starch, lafun, on the cloth or by stenciling the starch on experiments and research were conducted to ascertain the material. The stencils used as a vehicle to transfer the appropriate tools, materials, design and methodology the cooked starch onto the fabric are made of perforated, needed for the study. corrugated zinc tin sheets. However Kadolph [9] suggests that the use of a squeegee in the application of cooked starch for adireelekois a demonstration of the need for MATERIALS AND METHODS innovation. Other known binders used in West Africa are resins like gum Arabic and gum tragacanth [10]. The dry In this project, the choice of cassava powdered starch and fermented cassava powder, normally called konkonte was influenced by its obtainability, affordability and user- in Akan language, is yet another ingredient used alongside friendliness to the ordinary Ghanaian for either household other forms of constituents like wheat, lime juice and or industrial purposes. Its physical properties include the caustic soda in different proportions to obtain a viscous fact that it is normally powdery, white and found paste (Figure 1a) used as a resist medium for the pulverized into tiny granules. They are also odourless designing of fabrics in Ghana (Figures 1b and 1c) [11]. and tasteless [14]. Cassava powdered starch was Designed clothing usually exhibited by this traditional preferred to other thickening agents due to its favourable table-dyeing method has been influenced to a large reaction to vat dye, resulting in a high colour yield, its Asmah et al. 43 satisfactory fabric handle due to the solubilisation of the Table 1: Ingredients for cassava starch preparation. chosen thickener and its ability to coagulate in the presence of sodium compounds [15]. The choice of the Chemicals and Starch Quantity cassava starch preparation as a binder was due to its Sodium hydrosulfide 84 grams stability at low pH levels when integrated with the sodium compounds to facilitate satisfactory adhesion and film Sodium hydroxide 84 grams elasticity [16,17].