Ruth Thomas

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S P O K E N C O L O U R S

98 primary colour idioms in English, French and German

Each of the 3 embroideries is dedicated to one of the primary colours red, yellow and blue; the frames surrounding the embroideries indicate the respective colour. Within each work, the idioms are arranged alphabetically, all 3 languages combined.

When physically mixing the 3 primary colours, the resulting colour will be grey; thus grey is the only shade of thread used here. The idioms become visible by the use of different stitch directions: vertical for the background and horizontal for the letters.

Even though only skeins of the same colour number were used for the embroideries, the finished work appears slightly patchy, which is due to the subtle colour differences of the individual dye baths – a characteristic of the dyeing process.

All embroideries were realised by local artisans in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

(Embroidered cotton mounted on silk-covered felt panels, 3 works, each 123 x 93 cm, 2000)

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