Coordinates of memory: 8.22985612705111, 98.09006336434322
Tie & dye pattern: Starburst, made on a sunny day with cloud cover, 21°C
Hair tips inspired by the mouth of a Tutsi water pot, Rwanda

“If you want to know the end, look at the beginning.” African Proverb

Tie & dye is one of humanity’s oldest textile traditions, a gesture of color and resistance that spans centuries and continents. From the indigo pits of Kano in Nigeria to the intricate Shibori folds of Japan or the Bandhani dots of the Indus Valley, it is a technique developed in multiplicity, evolving through culture, necessity, and imagination. Its fragmented but interlinked histories remind us that textile knowledge has no singular origin - just like identity, history, and the act of becoming.

In this new body of work, Thandiwe Muriu explores the enduring relationship between creation and the environment. What began as an experiment with tie & dye, inspired by the colorful textiles displayed along the beaches of Mombasa, Kenya’s coastal region, evolved into a dialogue with nature itself. Through color, water, and time, Muriu discovered that fabric-making is not only an act of craftsmanship, but a collaboration with the natural world.

“The more I tried to control the dyeing process,” she writes, “the more the environment resisted. In this work, I am not the sole artist. I allowed the environment to speak, to alter, to intervene. I surrendered control.”

Celebrating this journey, each piece bears the name of a memory; moments when the artist felt in unison with her surroundings. Created during a time of climatic upheaval, these works reflect both struggle and harmony- a recognition that, even in a fractured world, our dialogue with nature endures.