Reykjavík Grapevine - 18.06.2010, Blaðsíða 38

26
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 08 — 2010
Are you excited about Loops 2010 yet? You
should be! It’s only the most exciting thing to
happen to Reykjavík all summer long. Let’s
break it down:
Loops 2010 takes place between June 17 and
July 4, and is the first of what will hopefully be
many annual Nordic yarncraft festivals in the
Nordic House. The programme offers art exhi-
bitions, workshops, symposiums and talks, not
to mention all manner of off-venue events as
well. The focus is firmly on the Nordic knitting
traditions, of which there are many because,
well, it’s cold up north.
However, this is no fusty festival of conser-
vative orthodoxy. While most of the designers
and artists participating are inspired by and
work within the traditions, they all present
their own spin on things, resulting in various
kinds of craziness and/or styles. The festival’s
programme is too detailed and marvellous to
properly examine here, so head on over to www.
nordichouse.is instead to check it out.
Cute and macabre
One of the most anticipated events in this line-
up of greatness is surely a show by German art-
ist Patricia Waller. Her work combines the cute
and macabre in an elegant and humorous way,
so that one cannot help but laugh, want to give
the work a hug and feel repulsed—all at the
same time. Why is she showing at a yarncraft
festival, you ask? Because she crochets all her
work!
“I used to knit pullovers as a teenager, but it
had nothing to do with art at that point,” says
Patricia when asked of her love of crochet as ar-
tistic medium. “I began crocheting when I was
in the final year of art school. All the materi-
als we worked with in sculpture class were so
heavy and difficult, usually metal or stone, so
I started to work with crocheting, just to see if
it could be done. All of my colleagues laughed
at me for working with such an old-fashioned
craft.”
Wait, are you saying that these people thought
crochet was in some way dorky? Surely not!
“In Germany at the time, crochet was mostly
associated with toilet-paper cosies, so people
found my experiments with it ridiculous,” Pa-
tricia explains. Still, it must be said that as far
as methods of toilet-paper heat preservation go,
a crocheted cosy is one of the most awesome
ones, and not ridiculous at all. But let’s not di-
gress.
Knit graffiti? Yarn bombing?
It wasn’t just Patricia’s school chums who were
less-than-open towards her unusual choice of
medium. Back in the heady days of the early
1990s, the art world in general was rather scep-
tical towards craft-based modern art. Patricia
says that things have fortunately changed for
the better in that respect, partially owing to
a global backlash against consumerism and
mass production:
“People today are more interested than they
were back then in expressing their individual-
ity and are increasingly turning their backs on
mass-market conformity. Making stuff with
our own hands and having that feeling of ac-
complishment, of having created something, is
part of that development and so people all over
the world have become interested in handi-
crafts. This means that craft art is no longer
associated only with housewives. Furthermore,
things like knit graffiti and yarn-bombing have
really worked wonders to change people’s per-
ceptions of what you can do with crafts.”
Afraid of moths
Looking at pictures of Patricia’s work is quite
awe-inspiring for anyone who has ever held a
crochet needle between their fingers and waved
it around in an attempt to make something.
Crocheting is hard, and Patricia has some se-
rious skills. Why not go with something a bit
easier, like knitting for example?
“I chose crochet rather than other forms
of yarncraft for practical reasons mostly,” she
cheerfully admits. “Crochet is easier to unravel
than knitting, because you don’t have 500 live
stitches off your needles that you need to worry
about dropping. Fabric worked with crochet is
also stronger and firmer than knit fabric, and
that suits me well, because it prevents people
from being able to see the stuffing inside my
work.”
Despite having chosen to work in a medium
usually thought of as a craft, Patricia clearly ap-
proaches her work from an art perspective. For
example, while knitters and crocheters like to
try out various types of fibre and can be quite
snobbish about the organic and natural pedi-
gree of their yarn, Patricia’s thoughts on the
subject of materials is refreshingly down to
earth: “I prefer to work with acrylic yarn rather
than wool or other natural fibres because I’m
afraid that moths could eat my work. Further-
more, acrylic yarn doesn’t get discoloured from
light exposure, and is easy to clean; I’ve even
made works that can be put in the washing ma-
chine!” How very convenient!
There will be blood. And gore
The themes in Waller’s work are generally not
for the faint of heart. There is a lot of blood
(crocheted with bright red yarn) and gore, but
the horror is camouflaged by the overpowering
cuteness of the soft, handmade creatures that
horrible things keep happening to. What’s go-
ing on in the artist’s mind when she dreams up
these repulsive yet beguiling scenarios?
“I think violence is a really big issue for so-
cieties today. When you look the uninhibited
slaughter that is served up for entertainment
purposes in Hollywood films or video games,
you realise that most of us encounter violence
every day through those media. Where do you
draw the line between socially accepted vio-
lence and extreme and unacceptable violence?
My work contains many different levels that
contrast with each other: the softness, the cute-
ness, the blood. The contrast and the lack of re-
alism renders it so that, when faced with these
works, people may begin to contemplate issues
that they prefer not to consider in their day-to-
day lives.”
Waller’s exhibition at the Nordic House in
some ways presents a change from her usual
modus operandi. There will still be blood, but
this time, for the first time, her exhibition is the
result of collaboration. Her show will resemble
a natural history museum of sorts, with mys-
terious creatures nailed to the walls. To best
describe these creatures and their lives, various
people were brought in to contribute. The artist
explains:
“Usually when I go somewhere to show my
work, I just hang it on the wall, say hello to a
few people and then go away. This time I decid-
ed that I wanted to involve the local people, the
local landscape or to create some kind of link
to local culture. To do this, I got some Iceland-
ers to help me describe the lives and habits of
the creatures, to give them names and to pho-
tograph them in their natural habitats. So far,
this collaboration has been a really interesting
experience for me.”
Waller’s work powerfully demonstrates how
crafts can contribute to our lives in ways more
profound than just keeping our toilet-paper
rolls warm. They can be thought-provoking,
can horrify and delight us in equal measure
and bring us together through collaboration.
All worthwhile things.
Waller’s show opens in the Nordic House on June
17 and closes on July 4. Go experience it and the
other wonders on offer at Loops 2010, and become
consumed by a strange and sudden urge to take up
knitting or crochet.
Art | Knitting
vIGdÍS ÞORMóÐSdóTTIR
jULIA STAPLES
Get Ready For Horrible Cuteness!
Patricia Waller is showing at Loops 2010
Can you believe all the crazy art at this knitting festival?
It sounds unbelievable! See you there!
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