Color is Alive
– Natural Ink-Making Recipes for the Curious Mind
(2021 - 2024)
Color is Alive – Natural Ink-Making Recipes for the Curious Mind is a publication that documents Greta Desirèe Facchinato’s research into natural ink-making for screen printing. This artist’s book shares recipes for creating natural inks from plants, kitchen scraps, and urban relics, and serves as a reflection on the artist’s journey of learning through research, reading, printing, and conversations with various experts. The editorial design merges elements of a journal and a botanical manuscript, capturing the essence of the research process. Each recipe page includes a blank frame where the reader can place a sample of the ink they create during the process, allowing color to take centre stage.
The project arose from a nine-month collaboration with the printing workshop Grafische Werkplaats Den Haag, where the initial goal was to explore the theme of the body through screen printing with natural inks. As the work progressed, the prints became a narrative of the living nature of these inks—animate material that undergoes the same life and death cycle as we do. This realization challenges the traditional view of art as eternal and raises questions about its conservation and economic value.
Credits:
Project and Research: Greta Desirèe Facchinato in collaboration with Grafische Werkplaats Den Haag. Research made possible by Gemeente Den Haag.
Author, Photographer and Editorial Designer: Greta Desirèe Facchinato.
Riso Printing and Binding: Stencilwerk Den Haag.
A total of 200 copies were printed in three independent editions.