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This engraving and print GROW NOT BUILD is focused on strategies of resistance, centring healing knowledges and ‘what we need to heal’ in the context of ‘the new normal’ and our world in crisis. We would like to  see ourselves grow freely, in touch with the land and its peoples, rather than with the building that comes with corporations, institutions, prisons, colonial statues and gentrification. We are inspired by the history of artistic political-protest engravings from Mexico, healing plants and traditional print and dye techniques. We have used natural dyes derived from healing plants, waterbased eco inks and recycled and ethically produced local cotton, which relates to our theme of thinking about our impact on land, its resources and the legacy of colonial extraction. We value the act of collaboration, energetic skill and knowledge sharing. We collected healing plants from community markets and from the streets, picking and collecting bourgainvillea around the city of Mexico. Raju had been taking muicle for their blood condition and brought some organic turmeric from India to add to some locally sourced curcuma. They had previously worked with textiles, print and dyes. Nads shared her tools and experience of engraving and print. We both learned alot about trees and plants, their properties but also their histories, indigenous and colonial, and their impacts. We experimented with natural dyes and tried to allow them to decide their shade instead of demanding a colour from them. This was a strategy against colonial demand for indigo and cochineal that has devasted local resources and economies. We reflected on decolonial asthetics in our process and outcomes. We created this poster to share the context of our making, NAD MA and RAJU RAGE, 2020

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El grabado e impresión SEMBRAR NO CONSTRUIR se centra en estrategias de resistencia, centrando los conocimientos curativos y "lo que necesitamos para curar" en el contexto de "la nueva normalidad" y nuestro mundo en crisis. Nos gustaría vernos crecer libremente, en contacto con la tierra y su pueblos, más que con el construir que viene con las corporaciones, instituciones, prisiones, estatuas coloniales y la gentrificación. Estamos inspirades en la historia de los grabados artísticos de protesta política de México, las plantas curativas y las técnicas tradicionales de estampado y tinte. Hemos utilizado pigmentos naturales derivados de plantas curativas, tintas ecológicas a base de agua y algodón reciclado producido de forma ética, que hablan de nuestra forma de pensar sobre nuestro impacto en la tierra y sus recursos, asi como nuestran postura sobre el legado extractivista colonial. Valoramos el acto de colaboración, la habilidad enérgetica y el intercambio de conocimientos. Recolectamos plantas curativas de los mercados comunitarios y de las calles, recojiendo y recolectando alrededor de la ciudad de México. Raju había estado tomando muicle para su condición sanguínea y trajo un poco de cúrcuma orgánica de la India para agregarle un poco a la cúrcuma de origen local. Anteriormente había trabajado con textiles, estampados y tintes. Nads compartió sus herramientas y experiencia en el grabado y la impresión. Ambes aprendimos mucho sobre árboles y plantas, sus propiedades, pero también sus historias, su origen nativo y su uso en el contexto colonial, asi como los impactos hasta ahora. Experimentamos con tintes naturales y tratamos de permitirles decidir su tono en lugar de exigirles un color.  Esta responde a nuestra postura frente a la demanda colonial de índigo y cochinilla que ha devastado los recursos y las economías locales. Reflexionamos sobre la estética decolonial en nuestro proceso y resultados. Creamos este póster para compartir el contexto de nuestra creación, NAD MA y RAJU RAGE, 2020

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Me llaman mulato / indio desnudo    aunque tengo muchos nombres    Por el color de mi piel    Porque cambio    Mis ramas crecen torcidas    en muchas direcciones “Soy un árbol muy representativo de los bosques de las Américas. Puedo medir hasta cinco metros de altura y mis ramas crecen retorcidas en varias direcciones  formando una corona enredada. Mi tronco es liso y brillante. Mi corteza es fina y se desprende en finas hojas rojas similares al papel. Llámame como quieras, pero soy un arbol sagrado " - Bio Color, un bosque en dos colores Mis raíces, cáscara, hojas y brotes son medicinales y son antídotos para muchas enfermedades y afecciones
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They call me mulato /naked indio   though I have many names   Because of the colour of my skin   Because I change   My branches grow crooked   in many directions ‘I am a very representative tree of the forests of the Americas. I can be up to five meters tall and my branches grow twisted in various directions forming a tangled crown. My trunk is smooth and shiny. My bark is thin and comes off in thin red sheets similar to paper. Call me what you want, but I call myself sacred’ - Bio Colour, A Forest in Two Colours My roots, peel, the leaves and buds are medicinal and are antidotes and ailments for many diseases and conditions.

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Hemos sido inspiradxs por la historia y artistas del grabado mexicano, este  tomó importancia a finales del siglo XIX gracias a que ayudó a plasmar mordazmente y sarcásticamente la realidad de México. La critica social que se hace desde la gráfica con esta técnica nos ayuda a comprender los procesos de extracción, colonización y violencia sistémica. Artistas como Adolfo Mexiac, Jose Guadalupe Posada, Francisco Diaz de León y Leopoldo Méndez han sido nuestra inspiración en el proyecto

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History of Mexican Political engravings and printmaking  

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History of Mexican Political engravings and printmaking  

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The use of printed images to document these matters, beginning in 1910, the first year of the Mexican Revolution, continued after the Revolution ended in 1920. Prints were produced in Mexico in large numbers during World War II (1939–45) that addressed international concerns, principally the tyranny of fascism and the virtues of socialist ideology.

Mexico has the oldest printmaking tradition in Latin America. The first presses were established there in the sixteenth century mainly to print devotional images for religious institutions. Because of their ephemeral nature, few of these early impressions survive. A rare early exception is a 1756 thesis proclamation printed on silk presented by a candidate for a degree in medicine. With the introduction of lithography to Mexico in the nineteenth century, printmaking and publishing greatly expanded, and artists became recognized for the character of their work. José Guadalupe Posada (1851–1913) is often regarded as the father of Mexican printmaking.  Posada’s prints became something of a benchmark for artists who appreciated their immediacy. They were also easy and cheap to print, and could reach a wide audience

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BRANCHES:
Listening
Passion
Pleasure

Cultivate
Un/Learn
Empathy/Care
Create

ROOTS:
Knowledge
Collectivity
Memory
Legacy

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We picked bugambilia / bourganvillea all across the city.

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the medicinal plants that accompany us in our daily lives are also inspiration. We avoid using natural inks such as grana cochineal and indigo due to colonial history and demand, and we compile and understand the migration and rooting histories of these plants (curcuma, muicle and bougainvillea), taking into account the energy exchange and ancestral knowledge of these plants.

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MUICLE DYE

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INGREDIENTES:
muicle, bugambilia, curcuma,alumbre, agua
manta, papeles, tintas: rojo y negro
caucho natural

HERRAMIENTAS:
lápices borrador papel tijeras
gubias, rodillo
cucharas de madera / espátulas rodillo, torculo
olla esmaltada, colador
Balanzas
pinzas para colgar, guantes

MÉTODO:
GRABADO: dibuje su diseño en un lino cortado a medida (recordando que todo estará al revés), talle el diseño con sus herramientas.
imprima en papel y tela usando un rodillo, cuchara o un torculo.

TEÑIDO : lavar todas las telas. prepárelos en un baño en ollas espaciosas con alumbre y agua (pre mordiente) durante 1 h aprox.
extraer el color de las plantas naturales mediante pétalos / hojas / tallos / pasta, dejándolo durante una hora o toda la noche (según la planta). Hierva agua, agregue el pigmento natural y hierva la tela hasta por una hora. enjuague la tela en agua. colgar para secar. Planche al final

INGREDIENTS:
muicle, bourgainvillea, curcuma alum, water, manta cotton cloth, papers, inks: red and black, natural rubber

TOOLS: pencils, eraser, paper, scissors , carving tools, roller, wooden spoons/spatulas, rolling pin, press , enamel pot, colander , weighing scales, pegs, washing line, gloves

METHOD: ENGRAVING - draw your design onto a cut-to-size lino (remembering that everything will be in reverse), carve the design using your tools. print onto paper and cloth using a rolling pin and spoon or a press.

DYEING - wash all cloths. prepare them in a bath in spacious pots with alum and water (pre mordant) for 1 hr approx. extract colour from natural plants using petals/leaves/stems/paste, leaving for an hour or overnight (depending on plant). Boil water, add dye to it and boil cloth for up to an hour. rinse cloth in water. hang to dry. iron flat.

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MUICLE -
Indigenous to Mexico I grow in temperate climates. My leaves are dark green and have orange flowers. My leaves and stems provide a color that goes from blue, through violet and green. I am used to treat a range of conditions from blood, dystenty to diabetes. I am  also used in dyeing purposes due to my distinctive colour.

BOURGAINVILLEA -
Indigenous to South America I migrated to Europe and its colonies through colonialism. The first European to observe these plants was Jeanne Baré an expert in botany. Because she was not allowed on ship as a woman, she disguised herself as a man in order to make the journey. I am known for treating respiratory diseases with my beautiful bright red and pink flowers.

CURCUMA -
Indigenous to South Asia, I migrated to most of the rest of the world through colonial trade. I am a bright orange/yellow root used for renownded medicinal purposes as an anti-inflammatory. I am also used for dyeing food, cloth and the body, in food and cosmetics.