Community Art Or Pointless Littering?
Thursday, July 16, 2009 14:19
Kitted Graffiti from Flickr User red5standingby
Magda Sayeg, founder of Knitta Please, is heading to Sydney with a promise that “There is no way I will leave Sydney without making my presence known.” and she “doesn’t care” if she gets arrested.
Edit: [previous text = Of course, the fact that Kings Cross council have organised and given Magda a grant to spread her knitted goods far and wide making the graffiti less of a f-you to the establishment and instead a chirpy little council funded art project.]
Kristine (quoted below) has just left a comment clarifying the Kings Cross Project for me (thanks!) it has nothing to do with Magda Sayeg, but there’s no doubt that it was inspired by her “movement”. My original point still stands, as an anti-establisment/anti-”the-man” movement I feel it loses a great deal when it becomes a Council funded art project.[end of edit]
As you can probably tell I’m not overly keen on the Yarn Graffiti movement. It lacks a true purpose. The effort to reward ratio just doesn’t sit right with me. Yes, some of the people that see a “tree sweater” will smile and have their day brightened, but I’m sure that the guy that has to go around removing soggy pieces of knitting after they’ve disintegrated in the elements is less than brightened. Call me a killjoy, but graffiti is graffiti, and someone has to clean up after you’ve decorated the landscape with yarn.
Of course in the Kings Cross project this won’t be the case, the squares will be on display for a couple of weeks, taken down, laundered and sewn into blankets to be given to the homeless. I think Web Goddess said this better than I could have ever said it myself, so please allow me to turn to her words of wisdom…
I hate to think what the samples in the Art and About project are going to look and smell like after hanging in the Cross for a couple weeks. “Laundering” them and giving them to the homeless seems like a tacked-on way of justifying the project, and it strikes me as fairly insulting as well (both to the knitters and the recipients).
Kristine’s full post can be found here, well worth a read. (and thanks to Bells for tipping me off via twitter!)
Each to their own I say, but you won’t see me garter stitching square after square to hang it on a lamp post or cover a street sign.
What is your take on the Knitting Graffiti movement? I’d love to hear from some people who have actively taken part, what did you gain from it, and would you do it again?
Related posts:
Kris says:
July 16th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Hey, thanks for the link. Just a clarification. The Kings Cross project that I mentioned on the blog is not to my knowledge affiliated with Magda Sayeg in any way. It’s a new project that hasn’t even been really kicked off yet. Presumably it was inspired by Magda’s Australian visit and the ensuing publicity, but I don’t think she’s officially a part of it.
I’ve been arguing my position on Ravelry all day. I don’t want to give the impression that I think public knitting CAN’T be art. It’s just that “knit graffiti” has been done to death for four years now, and I’m sick of the repetition and lack of imagination. Can’t we as a knitting community come up with a new way to showcase our craft?
Fern says:
July 16th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Thanks for the Clarification Kris! Will edit the post right away.
I agree with your position completely, if I’m going to knit/crochet for a warm fuzzy feeling inside, I would far rather make something for The Linus Project/The Toy Society/or any of the other craft related organisations out there
As you say, there are only so many times you can see a tree wrapped in a bit of garter stitch and think “how creative!”.
bells says:
July 16th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
not my thing. I like knitting as art but not this stuff, largely because I’m not into ‘trying to make knitting cool.’ It just is what it is and I don’t feel the need to preach about it.
Jacqueline says:
September 21st, 2009 at 11:19 am
A little bit late posting here but would like to barrack for the other camp! Plenty of virtual ink has flowed over the Anti-knit graffitti manifesto elsewhere. The nutshell of that and my own reading of Web-Goddess and her diatribe is that IF she is any kind of goddess, she has clay feet. Plenty of people derived enjoyment from participating or viewing these activities. Soft Sculpture (@ NGA Canberra) was a fabulous event. There is plenty of room for different opinions in this world, and even knitters who drop stitches and/or do not consider themselves “artists” have a place in community arts. Tolerance is sadly lacking in her arguments but it has merit as it galvanised debate if the crafting community. Power to the crafters of the world. Ohm….
daisy says:
October 15th, 2009 at 3:07 am
Knittin Graffiti or Yarn Bombing is a fun, harmless, quirky artistic form of expression. Don’t get to serious about it or the rain on it…we all put our sweaters in the wash and they survive..Kings Cross looks softer, people are talking to each other about it. We, the participants , feel good about having enhanced the enviroment, even though we have been told by the odd person that it is a waste of resourses….these people should take a look at the ‘art’ in some of the art galleries, and the sculptures around town. I dont understand why knitting has been singled out as an art form that has to be tucked away in the craft room only to be used for making things that keep people warm. The Kings Cross project was a fantstic event, it brought people together for 2 months, passers by stopped and chatted, some stayed and knitted, friendships were made, i dont get it…why the negativity?……and yes I would and am already ‘doing it again’
jafabrit says:
November 6th, 2009 at 1:16 am
I have to share this funny story about removal of knit graffiti from a street sign in our village (Yellow Springs, Ohio). It had our knit graffiti on it for 2 months and a truck hit the pole. We thought the village crew would just replace the pole. No! they removed the knitting off the damaged pole and put it on the new pole.
I hear all the arguments against the idea, they will get smelly, damage the trees etc and non of those are supportable arguments. No, none of ours have gotten smelly (dingy yes and then replaced). I wrote a blog response to the anti knit graffiti manifesto and although I respect anyone’s right NOT to like whatever movement or art is produced in this world, the reasons in the manifesto were quickly disprovable.
As for the claim it is an attempt to make knitting cool, no. As an artist I enjoy the challenge of using various media in unexpected ways. Yarn is another medium I enjoy using, and I like seeing how knitting is put into another context and transforms something in the street that is often ignored or taken for granted.
Plus it is just FUN, the village seems to have embraced it, the kids love it, the seniors love it , and the visitors/tourists love it.
original art says:
November 28th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Hi, ok yes I agree knitting as far as a craft pastime in its artistic values goes is all well respected. But this to me is definately littering. As I am not a great fan of yarn or knitting either, I don’t think that I would appreciate seeing pieces of knitted fabrics hanging from a crossing lights or lamp posts or even put it in the same category as graffiti itself, but yes each to their own.