​15.2.21 Knitting with monofilament
I have two opportunities coming up where I will be situating work outside. I'm planning a series of participatory outdoor installations in Bath and I've been invited to submit work to an open air sculpture park. I have considered a number of different options over the past few weeks including 
10.2.21 Labels for an outdoor installation
​21.1.21 Suppliers of natural fibres
20.1.21 Dissolvable thread
20.1.21 Natural fibres and decomposition 
​20.1.21 Why use natural fibres? 

I also wanted to think about using monofilament. 

Advantages:
  • It's unusual
  • When knitted it holds its own form
  • Knitted monofilament can also be manipulated into different forms by being stretched and suspended
  • When knitted it is transformed into something 'other' - sparkling, ethereal
  • Change in control: When knitted, the material has properties that dictate the outcome to a certain degree (See 'It's unruly' below!)
  • It's weatherproof
  • It won't fade in the elements
  • It comes in various thicknesses
  • It comes in many colours
  • It's like drawing in space - either knitted or as an installation of lines
  • It's light, so easy to transport 
  • It's light so could hang on eg trees
  • It will move in the wind when knitted

Disadvantages: 
  • It's unruly (see above 'Change in control!)
  • It's very hard to knit 
  • It requires more concentration to knit with it, so it might be harder to knit and have conversations
  • It's plastic
  • It might become dulled and brittle if subjected to the elements for a long time
  • It's hard not to squash it when storing or transporting the knitted forms
Knitted monofilament - examples of my research and installations, 2012 - present

2012
iCloud, knitted monofilament, installed at Align exhibition at UWE, Bower Ashton campus, 2012
I first knitted with see-through fishing line to make a sculpture in 2012I. I was very impressed with the outcome. Knitting transforms the line of the monofilament into an ethereal, sparkling web. I think that the way that the layers of filament interact with one another to make dense and less dense areas is especially intriguing. 
At that time, I made a number of samples too:
Samples of knitted monofilament using different sized knitting needles, 2012
It's hard to knit with, as the line is quite unruly, but that is also part of its attraction. The larger the needles, the harder it is to control the line, but it also obviously grows more quickly and, I think, becomes more interesting. It's barely recognisable as knitting when the monofilament takes control...it's more like a delicate drawing in space. here I have used different thicknesses of monofilament, different sized needles and different colours. 
2018
January: I experimented with a deep, blood red monofilament, using small knitting needles:
Obviously, because the line is darker, the web is more distinct. 
July: I installed two see-through sculptural knitted webs as part of 'Subversive surfaces' at Town Hall Arts, Trowbridge in 2018:
The knitted monofilament is excellent for site responsive installation as it can be pulled, stretched, suspended to fit into any space. It interests me how different the sculptures look in each space. The clear monofilament reflects the surrounding colours yet also disappears into it. Invisible or camouflaged sculptures are definitely conceptually interesting!
September: I  set up an installation of blood red monofilament outside as part of 'disquiet' at Walcot Chapel, Bath. This time I created the installation by attaching the monofilament to the walls of the chapel porch in multiple straight lines. It's a listed building so I could only use the attachments and holes that were already there, so it was an interesting challenge. I am definitely drawn to processes where I have to relinquish some control and this was a good example of that. 
I made the installation as a performance during the opening hours of the exhibition over a couple of days. The repetitious actions and the concentration required made it a very pleasurable process, quickly inducing Csikszentmihalyi's flow. It was interesting though how invisible the lines became in certain lights and when approached from various angles. I added the knitted section so that the installation was more visible as there was a very real risk that someone would walk into it!