Dancing with shadows: Searching for Light.

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to give a MAKERS perspective on the importance of HANDMADE CRAFTS and their relevance today, in a world that seems ever attracted to the Hi-Tec option. I will focus on KNITTING because that has been my speciaist subject for over 30 years. I make Aerial sculptures and Jewellery and belong to the Devon Guild of Craftsmen.

Knitting is all about MAKING and CONNECTING loops. TRANSFORMING a single thread into simple or more complex structures. Hi-Tec machinery has advanced its mass production so people around the world today connect with it physically on a daily basis (clothing, upholstry etc). Knitting is commonplace.Yet on a more domestic scale knitting remains accessible as a hand process to millions of people, regardless of age, gender or religious belief.

The act of knitting also has the power to connect people. Examples include:

For informal social activities (knit & Natter groups). As a means of political protest to share a unified voice (the Australian Knitting Nannas). To pass on skills and knowledge. Making and sharing gifts for warmth, protection or friendship. To bring comfort and emotional support to sick or distressed children (knitted teddy bears)... and so the list continues.

So does the physical act of knitting tap into a more fundamental human desire/need to connect? Can 'invisible' connections (blogging/tweeting/internet) leave a feeling of emotional DIS-connect?

To investigate this I turn to my own practice and ask a series of questions. Why has knitting been my medium of choice for over 30 years? What is it about this particular structure that I find so compelling?How and why do I work?

I begin by looking at the relationship between an object and a shadow. A shadow is created when an object blocks out the light, but light can TRANSFORM an object. Shadows are transitory - there but not there. Objects are physical, touchable.

As a trained textile maker I am curious about materials, each has its own physical characteristics and limitations. Structures of all kinds fascinate me. But when I discovered I could knit enamelled copper wire, I was instantly hooked...mesmerized by its colour and sculptural potential. Not only that, but the resulting semi-rigid structures seemed a perfect background to add things into. To my delight I had also discovered 'BEAD' knitting; a slow repetative hand process.

This technique has remained highly significant. It is central to how I create my aerial sculptures and jewellery. 'Structure' lies at the heart. My beads are not added as an embellishment to the surface, they actually form part of it. The beads also create the jewel-like quality that allows light to interact with it.

My investigations will reveal how design aesthetics and hand skills fuse with technique and materials to hold the key to my personal connection with knitting. Remove any of these elements and for me it just feels like... Dancing with shadows - searching for light.