005color potential

On 07.27.21 we hosted a non-dance party at Joe & Dalton’s beloved loft space in Bushwick. The event was also streamed on Twitch.

tie dye flyer

Great Ghost, Doctor Earth, Miss Alicia and DJ Shrimp created a vibe that ranged from ambient, downtempo & drone, to floaty house and techno. Karl brought a slice of the Karlala Soundsystem to create small, distinct points of sound around the space. Pia Coconut generally hid in Joe’s room.

party vibes
party vibes

It was late summer 2021, vaccines were a thing, and NYC had exploded back to life with myriad dance parties and raves. For us, it was a time of great beauty; vibrant, chaotic uncertainty allowed for deep presence and the promise of pure potentiality. With this event, rather than aim for volume or longevity, we sought to provide a temporary space where our friends could relax, reflect, and gather in a meaningful way outside of a dance floor.

party vibes

We wanted to provide an activity for guests to participate in, and I had been researching ways to create natural dyes, using sustainability and non-toxicity as guiding principles and creative limitations. So we ordered a batch of custom t-shirts with the upside down smiley printed on the front, and spent about two weeks researching and testing various plant-based substances including turmeric, cabbage, avocado pits, blueberries and blackberries.

party vibes

In the end, only the turmeric ended up sticking to the shirts. The cabbage and avocado dye spoiled before the event even started, and the berries washed out with the first rinse. However, I realized that it was never about the final product anyways. Rather, it was about those four delightful hours on a Tuesday afternoon, where a group of friends gathered around a table to eat curry, listen to music, and play around with the color potential of plants.

  • It is forming before our very eyes.

    Organically, and through enough different minds that it’s only a matter of time and patience until we see what she has the potential to become.

    And even then… she will be still and only ever catapulting forward into the next. Or fissuring and falling to the wayside.

    A collection of 60 shirts, faintly tinged with turmeric.

    - L