Dye Vat Grid

Dye Vat Grid is an original illustration set in Fes Region, Morocco. It lies in the subtropics, where the climate is mediterranean — hot dry summers, wet winters.

A honeycomb of round stone vats, seen straight down at noon, each disc holding one flat colour — saffron, red, indigo, lime-white, brown. Folded hides drape over the narrow walls between them, and workers stand waist-deep in the pits.

Why are the tannery pits laid out in this order?

The layout is a process diagram: hides move from the white lime pits that strip the hair, through tanning, into the coloured dye vats, in a fixed sequence. Doing it in open stone pits under strong sun requires a long dry season and a reliable water supply nearby. The colours are mineral and plant dyes, which is why the palette is limited and repeats.

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