Deep Dive: Colouring feathers with natural dyes

Today, feathers are almost exclusively dyed industrially and with synthetic dyes. For the Aztecs, feathers were more precious than gold and the craft of feather artists was highly regarded. Specially trained craftsmen, called "amantecas" in Nahuatl - the lingua franca in central Mexico in the 15th and 16th centuries - made ceremonial objects, garments and pictures from feathers. Some of these feathers were also dyed.

In 2008, Mexican artist Carlos Barrera Reyes initiated an artistic research project to revive the knowledge of dyeing techniques using natural dyes. Since then, he has been working with a large number of communities in Chiapas and Oaxaca, anthropologists, museums, organisations and universities to document, promote and preserve indigenous creation. In this workshop you will learn from him how to dye feathers with natural dyes.

The workshop is part of a project of the Conservation Department of the Weltmuseum Wien, which is analysing a feather insignia from the museum's collection, currently on display in the "Stories from Mesoamerica" gallery, in cooperation with colleagues from Mexico. The feather insignia is an early colonial object from New Spain that belongs to a group of six pre-Columbian feather objects that have been preserved in Europe and Mexico: a feather headdress known as a penacho, four feather shields and a disc with featherwork. Due to the rarity of this feather object, the Weltmuseum Wien is working with Carlos Barrera Reyes and María Olvido Moreno Guzmán on the production of a replica, which will be shown in the Mexica Hall of the National Museum of Anthropology (Mexico City).

In an additional workshop on 26 November you will have the opportunity to gain an insight into the craft of feather art, led by María Olvido Moreno Guzmán, responsible for the coordination of museums and exhibitions at the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Mexico, and Carlos Barrera Reyes.

We also invite you to our lecture with María Olvido Moreno Guzmán on Tue, 19 November:
Mexican Feather Art: Heritage at the Interface between Nature and Culture

Further information on the research project: Feather, fashion and cross cultural exchange

Carlos Barrera Reyes is a visual artist with a diverse approach. His artistic practice spans a wide range of themes, from ethnography to social, collaborative, and participatory art. His versatility is reflected in the diversity of formats and materials he has explored throughout his career. Carlos is characterized by his deep social commitment, which propels his work in the art of social interaction and education. Since 2008, he has been the director of a social art project in collaboration with thirty Indigenous communities in Chiapas and Oaxaca, focusing on promoting natural dye techniques. Since 2017, he has been leading the project for the revitalization and socialization of the textile collection at the Na Bolom Museum in Chiapas. Currently, he serves as a professor and a doctoral student in the Faculty of Arts and Design at UNAM.

María Olvido Moreno Guzmán is a scientific employee and conceptualises exhibitions at the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Mexico. She graduated from the National School of Conservation (National Institute of Anthropology and History, INAH) in 1982 with the thesis “Conservación de arte plumario mexicano”. At that time, she learned feather mosaic techniques with Gabriel Olay Olay, “amanteca” from a genuine dynasty of a 19th century feather artisans. She obtained the master degree (Iberoamerican University) with the thesis “Encanto y desencanto. El público ante las reproducciones en los museos”; a work that contains the public perception of the copy of the “Penacho de Moctezuma” located in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. She obtained her PhD in Art History from the National Autonomous University of Mexico; in the thesis “La reproductibilidad contemporánea del arte prehispánico” she explores the relations between copies and forgeries. She currently conducts interdisciplinary research on feather objects housed in museums across Mexico, Europe, and Japan. At the same time, she is analysing depictions of feather clothing in mural paintings.

Our Deep Dive format offers exactly what the name promises: deep insights into the working world of the Weltmuseum Wien, from the conservation department to our curatorial staff. This series also includes talks with artists, scientists, and personalities from various fields of knowledge on selected objects and topics. Our aim is to use the Weltmuseum Wien as a lively place of exchange and to confront the socio-political discourses and challenges that open up new perspectives on an extraordinary collection.

Duration: 3 hours
Admission: € 40 (valid museum ticket required)
Tickets  available online or at the ticket office
Meeting point: Hall of Columns