Hi, this is Daniel Garber at the Movies for culturalmining.com and CIUT 89.5 FM.

What do cephalopods, cavemen, and ancient Egyptians have in common? They all used ink, that amazing substance that predates both the written word and humans themselves. But what is it and where does it come from? A stunningly beautiful documentary called The Colour of Ink delves deeply into its history and usage, and explores it as an artistic medium in contemporary times. It follows artist, designer and illustrator Jason Logan, a Toronto-based ink maker, who concocts new colours from an astonishing variety of materials, many of which he forages in nature and creates in his home. The film traces those bottles of ink as they travel around the world — from Brooklyn to Tokyo to Mexico — as other artists incorporate them in their work. 

The Colour of Ink is written and directed by renowned Toronto movie critic, writer  and filmmaker Brian D Johnson. I last spoke with him at this station in 2015 about his previous documentary Al Purdy was Here.

I spoke with Jason Logan and Brian D Johnson in Toronto via Zoom.

The Colour of Ink opens across Canada this weekend, and Jason Logan is running a free, live, foraged ink event on March 25th, 2023 at the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto.