Amelia’s Magazine | Yarnbombing: Crafty Fad or Contemporary Art?

Yarn-Bombing-by-Cat-O'Neil
Illustration by Cat O’Neil

It’s a blustery day in October, autumn is well and truly here and I’ve come to Crystal Palace in search of Deadly Knitshade; stitch ‘n’ bitch guru, yarnbomber extraordinaire, cancer survivor and general good egg. She’s been giving me the slip, if you’ll excuse the knitting pun, all week, but thanks to a bit of twitter stalking and a few phone calls I’ve finally tracked her down to the children’s section of Upper Norwood Public Library. Her work is included as part of the Crystal Palace Children’s Book Festival. When I arrive, comic artists the Etherington Brothers are doing an illustration workshop with a bunch of kids, all of whom seem enthralled. As I walk in there’s some kind of question and answer session going on, and about 30 small boys are desperately trying to attract attention to themselves, arms propped-up on heads, hands waiving frantically in the air. One is bouncing up and down in his seat so hard he looks dangerously like he might burst, while another two boys sit at the back, on a child-sized table, scribbling contentedly. It’s a heart-warming scene, but I’m not here to talk about books. It was recently National Wool Week and knitting seems to be everywhere at the moment.

At the very back of the room a couple of adults are milling about, I recognize one as the woman I’m looking for: Deadly Knitshade. I wait for an appropriate break in proceedings before sidling over and introducing myself. I offer to buy her a peppermint tea and she accompanies me to a pub which is fittingly called ‘The Black Sheep’, to talk about woolly stuff. She looks a little tired, to tell you the truth. It’s been a manic six weeks, she explains, she has the flu and she’s been trying to say no to the odd interview, in favour of rest and recovery.

yarnbombing_gemmamilly
Illustration by Gemma Milly

I feel I should explain a bit about exactly what I’m doing here. It’s a year to the day since I almost died, and I have, somewhat deliberately, made sure I am up to my eyeballs in work so I don’t have to think too much about it. What made me so ill is a bit of a long story, so I won’t go there, but during my recovery I found myself knitting more fiercely than ever before. I’ve made more work in the last 12 months than in the 5 years preceding them, and I think that, for some unknown reason, knitting has helped me to put some of my demons to bed.

Deadly Knitshade, or Lauren O’Farrell, if you prefer to use her real name, comes to knitting from a similar perspective. She first picked up her needles about six months into treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. I can’t help but wonder what her views are on the healing properties of knit. When doctors finally gave her the all clear, she planned to celebrate by sneaking into Trafalgar Square and wrapping a hand-knitted scarf around the neck of one of the lions there, then running away again. ‘That was the plan’, she explains, while I sip my tea, ‘but what started as a personal act of celebration became a massive event when we (Stitch London, formerly Stitch and Bitch London) became involved with Cancer Research UK, and the thing went global. We ended up with enough scarf to wrap all four lions and each patch had a story to tell, some contributors knitted for fun, some for company and some to celebrate their own recovery, others knitted for people they’d lost. I knitted a patch for my dad, who I lost to Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when I was one and a half. There were others who were actually receiving treatment, and came along on the day, it was brilliant’.

knitlondon_by rosie shephard
Illustration by Rosie Shephard

That was 2007, and since then the people at Stitch London, and it’s yarnbombing off-shoot, Knit the City, have been very busy indeed. The latter, in particular, has attracted a lot of media attention of late. Yarnbombing, in case you have never heard of it, is like graffiti but with knit instead of spray cans. Its exponents cover street furniture including stop signs, bollards, or phone boxes with knitted cosies, they ambush public art with strange woollen creatures, creating intricate and amusing stories and encouraging the viewer to interact with a space they may otherwise have taken completely for granted. It is a shame that yarnbombing has been widely interpreted in the mainstream media as little more than a cutesy fad. Don’t get me wrong, there is no doubt that it is cute, but I can’t help but think that, if they used any material other than textiles: wood, metal, ceramics even, it would all be taken far more seriously. Of course, the effect would be utterly different.

Knitting has strong nostalgic connotations, like a big snugly jumper it comforts and soothes, it is inherently non-threatening in a way no other material is, and the objects produced with it can’t help but inherit the same properties. Knitters are generally patient, meditative people (you have to be patient and meditative to learn in the first place), and they aren’t into conflict. It therefore follows that yarnbombs (the people at Knit the City prefer to call them yarnstorms) are usually about as agitating as a cashmere cardi, but does that make them ultimately pointless?

Stitch London and Knit the City have never been particularly interested in making big political statements, preferring just to spread a little joy, bring people together and draw our attention to parts of London, like the London Stone, which we may walk past everyday and fail to notice. Magda Sayeg, the Texan woman and international yarnbomber credited with beginning the movement, is a little more willing to talk about the ideas behind her work. She’s yarnbombed everywhere, from buses in Mexico City to the Great Wall of China to apartment balconies in New York but she prefers urban spaces to rural ones because ‘trees have their own beauty’.

yarnbombing_gemmamilly
Illustration by Gemma Milly

‘It can be a very subversive subject, which is I think why the mainstream press seem to treat it in a cutesy way. If a magazine treats it in a girly way then that’s all it is…They’re not interested in promoting a conversation that reflects our attitudes to gender and craft or the role of art in public spaces. Here I am taking this ages-old domestic and entirely functional craft your grandmothers have been perfecting for centuries and turning it on its head, using it for nothing necessarily useful. Knit graffiti doesn’t make sense to a lot of people. I’ve heard: ‘’Why aren’t you knitting blankets for premature babies or for homeless people? You’re wasting your time’’. But people take wood or metal sculpture seriously, even though these materials could be used to house homeless people. There’s this assumption about feminine craft – females are meant to nurture, to be productive, to be functional, and how dare you make something just for fun? Or because it looks pretty? You have to help someone with it.’

But they are helping someone with it, or at least expressing something important. Ultimately yarnbombing highlights the way contemporary society feels about the big bad world, particularly the urban environment. There’s a lot out there to frighten, injure and even kill us. Roads scare us, traffic scares us, homelessness scares us, the recession scares us, hell even other people scare us, so what better way to fight that fear than by covering everything in a thick woolly layer of snuglyness? It’s a bit like when it snows. Everything is covered in a soft and gently twinkling coat of the white stuff, and you feel better about the world because you can no longer see the shit underneath.

Is it a coincidence that national wool week happened to coincide with a wave of drastic cuts in government spending, when we all fear for the future more than at any other time in half a century? Almost certainly, but I don’t really believe in coincidences. Knitting may have healed me, but can it heal the world? That’s doubtful, but it can definitely make it a happier place. ‘When we did the phone box’ Deadly Knitshade confides ‘loads of Japanese tourists came up and hugged it, and these commuters, who would normally be so stoney-faced, smiled like big kids’. Any public art that can inspire someone to hug a London phone box has got to be doing something right.



Categories ,Cancer Research UK, ,Cat O’Neil, ,Crystal Palace Children’s Book Festival, ,Deadly Knitshade, ,Gemma Milly, ,Great Wall of China, ,Knit the City, ,Lauren O’Farrell, ,Magda Sayeg, ,National Wool Week, ,Rosie Shephard, ,Stitch London, ,The Black Sheep Pub, ,The Etherington Brothers, ,The London Stone, ,Trafalgar Square, ,Upper Norwood Public Library, ,Yarnbombing

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Amelia’s Magazine | MADE10: A review of the stands

Few people have changed the world of fashion and people’s perception of femininity as Christian Dior. Revered in his own lifetime as a fashion god at the forefront of post-war modernity with his celebrated ‘New Look’. At his side was friend and lifelong collaborator Renée Gruau who would create some of the most enduring fashion images of the 20th century.

In the third of its fashion based exhibitions Somerset House has gathered together a strong collection of Gruau’s work from the 1950s right up until the time he finished working with the house of Dior in the 1980s.

Whether translating Dior’s floral inspiration or producing illustrations for the ever masculine Eau Sauvage fragrance, abortion it is the simplicity in Gruau’s work that always jumps to the fore. All at once the work is of its own time but also undoubtedly modern and timeless. The exhibition takes you through several distinct elements of Gruau’s work and his progression as an illustrator of not just Dior but the inspirations of the time are clear.

The collection is divided into sections including Gruau’s Flower Woman and his work on Gesture and Attitude, order which contains some of his most recognised works. Also present is a series of L’Homme Gruau. When Gruau first illustrated for the Eau Sauvage fragrance the worked caused quite a stir for showing a man in the intimacy of just his bathrobe. Gruau would continue to push this further in future pieces, viagra sale such as the scandalous naked man shaving concealed in shadow.

The sincere friendship between Dior and Gruau can be seen throughout the collaborative works; a shared vision of two of the most creative men of the 20th century. The exhibition highlights Gruau’s influences in several pieces such as Japanese prints. Accompanying the illustrations (behind a rather heavy gauze) are several pieces of Dior Haute Couture. The New Look coat is a sight to be hold, as is the painted dress from the Autumn/Winter couture collection 2010 by John Galliano, displaying both Christian Dior and René Gruau’s enduring influence.The final part of the exhibition shows the dramatic influence Gruau has had on the world of fashion illustration with a collection of contemporary works by modern artists.

At £6 this exhibition isn;t expensive in comparison to large-scale London exhibitions, but at the same time it isn’t enormous. However, for anyone with even a passing interest in Dior, the 1950s, contemporary culture, advertising or illustration this exhibition is a must see. Photography is not allowed of the exhibits so make sure you spend your time soaking in the work: the clarity of the lines, the extensive range of techniques, the boundaries pushed – from a time before Illustrator or Photoshop were even dreamed of.

For visiting information, visit the Somerset House website.

Few people have changed the world of fashion and people’s perception of femininity as Christian Dior. Revered in his own lifetime as a fashion god at the forefront of post-war modernity with his celebrated ‘New Look’. At his side was friend and lifelong collaborator Renée Gruau who would create some of the most enduring fashion images of the 20th century.

In the third of its fashion based exhibitions Somerset House has gathered together a strong collection of Gruau’s work from the 1950s right up until the time he finished working with the house of Dior in the 1980s.

Whether translating Dior’s floral inspiration or producing illustrations for the ever masculine Eau Sauvage fragrance, approved it is the simplicity in Gruau’s work that always jumps to the fore. All at once the work is of its own time but also undoubtedly modern and timeless. The exhibition takes you through several distinct elements of Gruau’s work and his progression as an illustrator of not just Dior but the inspirations of the time are clear.

The collection is divided into sections including Gruau’s Flower Woman and his work on Gesture and Attitude, sildenafil which contains some of his most recognised works. Also present is a series of L’Homme Gruau. When Gruau first illustrated for the Eau Sauvage fragrance the worked caused quite a stir for showing a man in the intimacy of just his bathrobe. Gruau would continue to push this further in future pieces, such as the scandalous naked man shaving concealed in shadow.

The sincere friendship between Dior and Gruau can be seen throughout the collaborative works; a shared vision of two of the most creative men of the 20th century. The exhibition highlights Gruau’s influences in several pieces such as Japanese prints. Accompanying the illustrations (behind a rather heavy gauze) are several pieces of Dior Haute Couture. The New Look coat is a sight to be hold, as is the painted dress from the Autumn/Winter couture collection 2010 by John Galliano, displaying both Christian Dior and René Gruau’s enduring influence.The final part of the exhibition shows the dramatic influence Gruau has had on the world of fashion illustration with a collection of contemporary works by modern artists.

At £6 this exhibition isn;t expensive in comparison to large-scale London exhibitions, but at the same time it isn’t enormous. However, for anyone with even a passing interest in Dior, the 1950s, contemporary culture, advertising or illustration this exhibition is a must see. Photography is not allowed of the exhibits so make sure you spend your time soaking in the work: the clarity of the lines, the extensive range of techniques, the boundaries pushed – from a time before Illustrator or Photoshop were even dreamed of.

For visiting information, visit the Somerset House website.

Few people have changed the world of fashion and people’s perception of femininity as Christian Dior. Revered in his own lifetime as a fashion god at the forefront of post-war modernity with his celebrated ‘New Look’. At his side was friend and lifelong collaborator René Gruau who would create some of the most enduring fashion images of the 20th century.

In the third of its fashion based exhibitions Somerset House has gathered together a strong collection of Gruau’s work from the 1950s right up until the time he finished working with the house of Dior in the 1980s.

Whether translating Dior’s floral inspiration or producing illustrations for the ever masculine Eau Sauvage fragrance, viagra it is the simplicity in Gruau’s work that always jumps to the fore. All at once the work is of its own time but also undoubtedly modern and timeless. The exhibition takes you through several distinct elements of Gruau’s work and his progression as an illustrator of not just Dior but the inspirations of the time are clear.

The collection is divided into sections including Gruau’s Flower Woman and his work on Gesture and Attitude, stomach which contains some of his most recognised works. Also present is a series of L’Homme Gruau. When Gruau first illustrated for the Eau Sauvage fragrance the worked caused quite a stir for showing a man in the intimacy of just his bathrobe. Gruau would continue to push this further in future pieces, such as the scandalous naked man shaving concealed in shadow.

The sincere friendship between Dior and Gruau can be seen throughout the collaborative works; a shared vision of two of the most creative men of the 20th century. The exhibition highlights Gruau’s influences in several pieces such as Japanese prints. Accompanying the illustrations (behind a rather heavy gauze) are several pieces of Dior Haute Couture. The New Look coat is a sight to be hold, as is the painted dress from the Autumn/Winter couture collection 2010 by John Galliano, displaying both Christian Dior and René Gruau’s enduring influence.The final part of the exhibition shows the dramatic influence Gruau has had on the world of fashion illustration with a collection of contemporary works by modern artists.

At £6 this exhibition isn;t expensive in comparison to large-scale London exhibitions, but at the same time it isn’t enormous. However, for anyone with even a passing interest in Dior, the 1950s, contemporary culture, advertising or illustration this exhibition is a must see. Photography is not allowed of the exhibits so make sure you spend your time soaking in the work: the clarity of the lines, the extensive range of techniques, the boundaries pushed – from a time before Illustrator or Photoshop were even dreamed of.

For visiting information, visit the Somerset House website.
this illustration by Matilde Sazio” src=”http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/1Lisa-Tilleys-U-Old-Bag-bespoke-bags-by-Matilde-Sazio-1.jpg” alt=”Bespoke bags by Lisa Tilley, viagra order illustration by Matilde Sazio” width=”480″ height=”330″ />
Bespoke bags by Lisa Tilley, doctor illustration by Matilde Sazio

As anyone who’s ever been to one will testify, a craft fair is a lot like a box of chocolates, you can never tell quite what you’re going to get. I’ve frequented enough shockers in my time to know that some people’s idea of what constitutes ‘craft’ is pretty loose, from magnetic hematite jewellery that has obviously been shipped-in from Asia and merely assembled in someone’s front room, to the most ghastly knitted nativity scenes, felted tea cosies, pickled eggs and even pot plants. So it was with some trepidation that I made my way over to MADE10, at Brighton’s Corn Exchange, to sample the delights therein. That slightly excited, twitchy, ‘lucky dip’ feeling is usually part of the fun for me. Not so, I discovered, when you’ve already offered to write a review of the stands. I spent much of my journey over there wondering what I’d do if I couldn’t find anything I wanted to write about. Thankfully, I needn’t have worried. MADE is a craft fair for connoisseurs.

Mulitmedia Jewellery by Alison Haddon, photograph by Rosie Shephard
Jewellery by Alison Haddon, photograph by Rosie Shephard

Yes, there was the obligatory smattering of twee, albeit the kind of well-made and excessively posh twee that will soon be gracing the pages of glossy interiors magazines across the land. But there was also a good amount of properly exciting stuff too. Most of the stands had a foot firmly in both camps, sporting items that were not only extremely saleable but well made and very stylish indeed. Here’s my pick of the very best MADE10 had to offer.

Cup and saucer by Esther Coombs
Cup and saucer by Esther Coombs, photograph by Rosie Shephard

The work of Esther Coombs (who we’ve featured before, here) fits squarely into the last category. Her upcycled vintage ceramics feature hand-drawn illustrations of everything from delicate doilies to sprawling cityscapes, bringing a new layer of narrative to tired tea sets and turning them back into truly covetable 21st century objects. Brutalist tower blocks butt up against the very prettiest fifties florals, lending them a little bit of edge and a nice helping of relevance, not to mention humour.

Cake stand by Esther Coombs
Cake stand by Esther Coombs, photograph by Rosie Shephard

Her cake stands are made up of mismatched cups, saucers and glasses stacked on top of one another. These are particularly lovely and will no doubt prove popular with Christmas shoppers at this year’s fair. Going on my wish list will be the chintzy china teapot with the drawing of the Eiffel Tower and her brooches made of broken porcelain fragments with added doodles and messages, a snip at only a fiver.

Alison Haddon, illustration by Celine Loup
Alison Haddon, Illustration by Celine Loup

Bird motifs are everywhere at the moment and I have to say it’s beginning to do my head in a bit. I think I came away from MADE10 with a touch of ‘bird blindness’, so ubiquitous have they become. Everything seems to have an owl or a swallow on it these days, but Alison Haddon’s jewellery offers something a little bit different. She draws the birds from life, and this gives her finished pieces the extra character and movement that can only come from close observation.

Necklace by Alison Haddon, illustration by Rosie Shephard
Necklace by Alison Haddon, illustration by Rosie Shephard

With their spindly legs and pointy, pecky beaks, you feel like they could almost squawk at you and fly off their silver perches. She uses feathers and other found materials as well as silver and enamel, rendering her work that much more delicate and quirky. I particularly liked her ‘twig’ earrings, which I guess probably aren’t made out of real twigs, I’m pretty sure they’re silver dipped in, or painted with, enamel. It always puts a smile on my face to see people playing with materials like that.

Silver necklace by Emma Turpin, photograph by Rosie Shephard
Necklace by Emma Turpin, photograph by Rosie Shephard

For magpie-minded people like me (bloody birds again, sorry), there was plenty of jewellery to keep us entertained, including Emma Turpin’s Victorian inspired pieces centred around rosettes, frames and silhouettes. I want a Sherlock Holmes necklace with magnifying glass attached, please Emma, or the purple-tasselled flock earrings, which I thought most successfully conjured up the plush decadence of over-the-top Victorian parlours.

Purple tasselled earrings by Emma Turpin, illustration by Rosie Shephard
Earrings by Emma Turpin, illustration by Rosie Shephard

For me the very best things are created by makers who are simply dancing to their own little tune rather than seeking to mimic, or even set, high street trends. Emily Maude’s prints, collages and memory boxes are quirky and rather beautiful, but it was her fictionalized portraits, which form part of her ‘Everyone I Have Ever Known’ project, which really tickled my fancy. Each drawing in the series is an attempt to remember a particular individual she has met during her lifetime, and there are over 700 of them. In this instance it appears that Emily has met Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, circa 1917, which I seriously doubt, but he does, or did, bare a striking resemblance to her boss, apparently.

Portrait by Emily Maude, photograph by Rosie Shephard
Portrait by Emily Maude, photograph by Rosie Shephard

Now, usually I am not a fan of felt, but Barbara Keal has completely changed all that. Her theatrical felt hats, made from sheep and alpaca fleece, are simply magical, transporting the wearer to a fairytale world where woodland creatures frolic by the light of the silvery moon.

Felt hat with fox ears by Barbara Keal, illustration by Gareth A Hopkins
Felt hat by Barbara Keal, illustration by Gareth A Hopkins

If you want to spend this winter looking like Mr Tumnus from the Chronicles of Narnia, or Max from Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, and I for one, certainly do, then this is the headgear for you. I reckon this is one maker to watch, and the buzz around the Kealworks stand would imply that lots of other people agree with me.

Fish in a bag, by Kate Jenkins of Cardigan Ltd, photograph courtesy of MADE10
Fish in a bag by Kate Jenkins of Cardigan Ltd, photograph courtesy of MADE10

There were a few other makers who were obviously riding the crest of a wave, Kate Jenkins’ (who we’ve also featured here, and here) work for her ‘knitwear for life’ label Cardigan Ltd is witty, engaging and covered in sequins, and was attracting a lot of attention.

Suitcase by Lisa Tilley, illustration by Antonia Parker
Suitcase by Lisa Tilley, illustration by Antonia Parker
Lisa Tilley’s bespoke accessories have bags of sass. She mixes vintage and found objects to create unique and oh, so desirable bags, briefcases and suitcases decorated with fish, maps and what look like 60s knitting and cross-stitch patterns. They were going down a storm on opening night, and I’m sure you can expect to find one in a cool boutique near you very soon. For me, however, it was Barbara Keal’s romantic feltwork that really stole the show.

Felt fox hat by Barbara Keal
A hairy fox by Barbara Keal, photograph courtesy of MADE10

Categories ,Alison Haddon, ,Antonia Parker, ,Barbara Keal, ,brighton, ,Brutalist, ,Cardigan Ltd, ,Celine Loup, ,Chronicles of Narnia, ,Corn Exchange, ,Doilies, ,Eiffel Tower, ,Emily Maude, ,Emma Turpin, ,Esther Coombs, ,Felted tea cosy, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,Hematite jewellery, ,Kate Jenkins, ,Kealworks, ,Knitted nativity, ,Lisa Tilley, ,Lucky dip, ,MADE10, ,Matilde Sazio, ,Maurice Sendak, ,Mr. Tumnus, ,Owl, ,Rosie Shephard, ,Sherlock Holmes, ,Swallow, ,Tsar Nicholas II, ,Victorian parlour, ,Where the Wild Things Are

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