DieDye.Co:
DD_canvas-02
September - November 2021
Documentation courtesy of Alison Postma
DD_canvas-02 is a product of DieDye.Co—a Montréal-based print studio that explores image-making, dying & textile screen-printing through methods of improvisation, experimentation, & self-imposed creative restriction.
DD.Co focuses on working within sets of rules & principles of creation in order to set a greater focus on the act of production itself. These restrictions & ethos are designed to deny perfectionism by embracing faults & failure—ensuring that the final product genuinely reflects the human touch often lost in the sea of flawless design & user experience.
The rules & principles of DieDye.Co are designed to promote & maintain productive momentum. Their intention is to continually drive work & creation forward, denying reasons for production to be slowed, stopped, restarted, or abandoned. By removing the stress of perfection & clearly defining the terms of engagement, these rules actually set us free.
DD.co - GUIDING PRINCIPLES
- Production is the key goal—to work is to create
- Deny indecision, idealism, perfectionism, & procrastination
- Allow space for thought, but not enough to dwell
- Accept & collaborate with ‘mistakes’
- Human touch is felt through imperfection—understand & embrace this
DD.Co - GENERAL PRINTING RULES
- Single-coat of screen emulsion—no recoats for application errors
- No reshooting screens—washout ‘errors’ are embraced
- No masking off open areas of screens with tape
- No pre-planned colour choices—ink mixed immediately before printing
- No pre-planned image placement—screen placed immediately before printing
- Colour selections commitments:
DD.Co projects are designed to work in tandem with each other.
The natural flow of the studio creates new work from tests & leftovers, ensuring the cyclic aspects of the work & maximum creative extraction remain in play at all times.
- Production is the key goal—to work is to create
- Deny indecision, idealism, perfectionism, & procrastination
- Allow space for thought, but not enough to dwell
- Accept & collaborate with ‘mistakes’
- Human touch is felt through imperfection—understand & embrace this
DD.Co - GENERAL PRINTING RULES
- Single-coat of screen emulsion—no recoats for application errors
- No reshooting screens—washout ‘errors’ are embraced
- No masking off open areas of screens with tape
- No pre-planned colour choices—ink mixed immediately before printing
- No pre-planned image placement—screen placed immediately before printing
- Colour selections commitments:
- 2 minute time-frame for individual colour selection/mixing
- No remixing colours or second-guessing
- Maximum 1 use per color in any given piece.
DD.Co projects are designed to work in tandem with each other.
The natural flow of the studio creates new work from tests & leftovers, ensuring the cyclic aspects of the work & maximum creative extraction remain in play at all times.
DD_super - IMAGE CREATION RULES
- 4 hour limit for all image creation (per piece)
- Minimum 1 instance of text
- Minimum 1 iteration of DD.Co Smiley (in any form)
DD_canvas / DD_cycle - PRINTING RULES
- Maximum 2 prints per image.
- Maximum 1 print per colour (new colour for every print).
DD_canvas repurposes the refuse from other company projects. The large printed canvas has acted as a drop sheet to catch dye, paint, ink, and other materials.
DD_canvas is made in unison with DD_cycle, with the canvas being the initial “test piece” before the upcycled clothing is printed.
The DD_canvas series is made using an amalgamation & reappropriation of images from DD_super products—the baseline for all image creation in DD.Co operations.
- 4 hour limit for all image creation (per piece)
- Minimum 1 instance of text
- Minimum 1 iteration of DD.Co Smiley (in any form)
DD_canvas / DD_cycle - PRINTING RULES
- Maximum 2 prints per image.
- Maximum 1 print per colour (new colour for every print).
DD_canvas repurposes the refuse from other company projects. The large printed canvas has acted as a drop sheet to catch dye, paint, ink, and other materials.
DD_canvas is made in unison with DD_cycle, with the canvas being the initial “test piece” before the upcycled clothing is printed.
The DD_canvas series is made using an amalgamation & reappropriation of images from DD_super products—the baseline for all image creation in DD.Co operations.