먹 Meok｜Dyeing Allo with Pine-Soot Ink

In the previous articles, we followed Allo from plant to fiber, through hand-spinning, and into woven and knitted cloth.

This time, we visit YUSU’s studio in Korea to document the dyeing and finishing of the 먹 Meok Pine-Soot Ink Series.

 

YUSU and Allo

YUSU is an artist whose practice centers on dyeing and sewing with natural materials such as pine-soot ink and kakishibu. His work includes large noren made from old Korean mosi (모시 / ramie), as well as objects and dyed baskets.

At the studio, a Gundri from Nepal, also carried by mrak, is used as a work mat. Marks from repeated ink dyeing remain across its surface.

Allo and ramie are both bast fibers and readily absorb the dye bath. Woven and knitted Allo have different structures, so the process is adjusted for each.

 

Dyeing with Pine-Soot Ink

The soot that produces the black of pine-soot ink is a fine pigment. Before dyeing, the Allo is washed with baking soda to soften and prepare the fibers so the ink can adhere more readily.

The bath containing pine-soot ink is heated to 80–90°C before the Allo is immersed. YUSU moves the cloth by hand so the ink reaches the entire surface. As the temperature rises, a faint woody scent reminiscent of a fire emerges.

After dyeing, the cloth is not wrung tightly. It is folded and gently pressed to remove excess liquid and reduce unevenness in the color.

 

Drying Woven and Knitted Cloth

For woven cloth, the fringes are combed before it is hung to dry. Clipping the cloth directly would leave marks, so pins are inserted along the edge and the pins themselves are secured.

As the cloth dries, the dye bath moves downward. Excess moisture is removed to limit differences in color.

Knitted cloth is dried flat on hanji. This prevents stretching under its own weight while the paper absorbs excess moisture and ink.

Rinsing and Kakishibu

After drying, the cloth is rinsed to remove ink that has not fixed to the fibers. It is dried again, then treated with kakishibu. The tannins in kakishibu add depth to the black and support the fixation of the ink.

The process ends with another rinse and drying. For woven cloth, the fringes are combed, excess fibers are trimmed, and the cloth is finished with an iron.

The pine-soot ink used here is made by Korean ink maker Han Sang-muk. In the next article, we follow the process of burning pine, collecting soot, combining it with glue, and forming it into ink.

→ View the 먹 Meok Series