Ebru & Indian Ink

Photographed results from experimentation with Indian Ink mixed with water, ox gall, oil or dish soap mixed with water as a resist and floated on various thicknesses of thickened water using Ebru made from Carrageenan Seaweed. Each solution was then placed onto the surface of the Ebru using a pipette, whilst the transparent container was sitting on a surface transducer playing a selection of sounds and songs. Observations from this experiment showed that the thickness of Ebru affected how the ink fractured on the surface, i.e. thicker viscosities resulted in a more clear and fractured pattern. Stirring in the ink to the Ebru mixture and adding a resist medium such as dish soap and water produced a negative-style image. The method was unpredictable (and messy) however I did like the organic-like forms that resulted and overall made for a fun experiment.

This was the second experiment which was inspired by my MA research into Cymatics by German physicist Ernst Chladni (1786 – 1827) and natural scientist Dr Hans Jenny (1904 – 1972) who carried out further research using Chladni’s plate.