Words by Lula Criado
Laura Daza is not only a designer and an artist but also a colour hunter and maker. Colombian-born but living and working in London I did not meet her personally during London Design Festival where she was showcasing her amazing project Colour Provenance and her book DIY Colour Recipe Book.
There I enjoyed both and I appreciated how Laura helps us understand the origin of the colour. She blends ancient rituals and alchemic techniques with natural materials to manufacture pigments that are increasingly being lost.
The value of colour has changed through history: Greeks considered it a science, Egyptians used it for cures, Paracelsus introduced the philosophy of colour and nowadays people are aware of the therapeutic aspect of colour in mind, to name but a few. Colour Provenance is a journey into the past that helps us go deeper into the meaning of colour and its making process.
A project, in which through the story of eight colours: Whiteshell, Saffron, Ochre, Verdigris, Malachite, Azurite, Mummy Brown and Lamp Black, Laura Daza investigates its power, its magic and the role that colour has played in humanity.
What is more important: to take or not to take yourself too seriously in order to be creative?
For me is more important to take myself seriously in the sense of being self-aware and disciplined in what I’m passionate about. Creativity happens if you develop and train it.
What’s your favourite time of the day?
My favourite time of the day is at dawn when everything around me is quiet and peaceful.
It’s the time when I can be with myself and really focus, reflect and meditate about life.
Solitude or loneliness, how do you spend your time alone?
Solitude.
When I’m alone I like spending my time reading; listening to inspiring and relaxing music; observing and capturing inspiring moments in very simple things.
Have you found beauty in unexpected places/situations?
Yes, I’ve found beauty in unexpected places and situations. In particular, when making Mummy brown pigment I found beauty in a mummified rat.
What is more important: to take or not to take yourself too seriously in order to be creative?
For me is more important to take myself seriously in the sense of being self aware and disciplined in what I’m passionate about. Creativity happens if you develop and train it.
What’s your favourite time of the day?
My favourite time of the day is at dawn when everything around me is quiet and peaceful.
It’s the time when I can be with myself and really focus, reflect and meditate about life.
Solitude or loneliness, how do you spend your time alone?
Solitude.
When I’m alone I like spending my time reading; listening to inspiring and relaxing music; observing and capturing inspiring moments in very simple things.
Have you found beauty in unexpected places/situations?
Yes, I’ve found beauty in unexpected places and situations. In particular, when making Mummy brown pigment I found beauty in a mummified rat.
What do you want to achieve before you die?
Fulfil my personal and professional aspirations. Be able to extract all the possible colours in the world. Establish the first Design and Art Foundation in Colombia for kids with artistic talents.
One for the road… What are you unafraid of?
Clairvoyance.
