RCA Summer Show 2009

"Entomological Knits"

I felt many forms of needlecraft have slowly disappeared throughout the years. I wanted to represent this but through the craft I knew best. I felt displaying the knitted pieces in a museum setting, behind glass with labels, would make the viewer wonder. Were the knits precious? Was there any special about them? I thought taking away the ability to touch the objects would encourage the viewer to look. I added labels with detailed technical knitting information for the more curious viewers. Although I wanted to move away from garments, I thought about where knitting came from and even after many centuries, knitting is still deeply rooted in garments. I looked at knitting patterns in vintage craft books and became very engaged with the construction and techniques ; details in sock heels, pockets, gussets, ribs, etc. I felt they were such beautiful objects and were lost within garments. These details play a different role when separated from the rest of the garment. The idea for repeating each detail with different colours came from looking at the current trend of manufacturing garments which usually are massed produced, and repeated again and again in different colours. But the main aim was to create an atomsphere for people to reflect and look at knitting in a different way.