Project Atrium: Rowland Ricketts
Edited by Amber Sesnick, Director of Communications & Marketing, MOCA Jacksonville
During the 26 years Rowland Ricketts has been working with indigo, he has created many large-scale installations in locations around the world. Indigo dye is an organic compound used to create a distinctive blue color in fibers and fabrics and has been used throughout the world in many traditions. Ricketts has cultivated his own practice over many years, developing a farm to gallery methodology that is as important to the final product as the aesthetic of each work. I had the pleasure of interviewing the artist to learn more about his way of working and creating in the lead up to his current installation at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jacksonville for Project Atrium.
Amber Sesnick: What initially drew you to indigo and how did it develop into your medium choice?
Rowland Ricketts: I was initially drawn to indigo because it combined my interest in working with plants and my interest in art and design. The more I’ve worked with indigo, I see it as more than just a color. It is shared by cultures around the world, the process itself requires care and attentiveness, and as a material it has a complicated history.
