3.6.20 Hairy or smooth knitting?
I think that these two surfaces communicate very different meanings. This builds on my Statement for MF002, investigating blurring of boundaries further? Inside/outside, public/private. Both sides are familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time, and consequently provoke a feeling of discomfort. The ‘hairy’ knitting is technically the right side of the work, but because knitting is stereotypically finished and perfect, it feels wrong; the smooth surface is the inside/wrong side, which is where any loose threads would normally be left, and subsequently neatly woven invisibly into the reverse of the work. This feeling, unheimlich, or the uncanny, is something I’m very interested in amplifying in my work. Hairiness, or rather, hair ‘in the wrong place’ also brings to mind Mary Douglas’ theories on dirt, contamination anxiety, ‘matter out of place’ and Kristeva’s abjection.
Leaving the loose threads, the marks of my making, and not stitching them in, makes the work look messy; deliberately pulling them all through to the front of the work is a provocation! It truly is sloppy craft. It also brings a sense of formlessness and unravelling…
I think that these two surfaces communicate very different meanings. This builds on my Statement for MF002, investigating blurring of boundaries further? Inside/outside, public/private. Both sides are familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time, and consequently provoke a feeling of discomfort. The ‘hairy’ knitting is technically the right side of the work, but because knitting is stereotypically finished and perfect, it feels wrong; the smooth surface is the inside/wrong side, which is where any loose threads would normally be left, and subsequently neatly woven invisibly into the reverse of the work. This feeling, unheimlich, or the uncanny, is something I’m very interested in amplifying in my work. Hairiness, or rather, hair ‘in the wrong place’ also brings to mind Mary Douglas’ theories on dirt, contamination anxiety, ‘matter out of place’ and Kristeva’s abjection.
Leaving the loose threads, the marks of my making, and not stitching them in, makes the work look messy; deliberately pulling them all through to the front of the work is a provocation! It truly is sloppy craft. It also brings a sense of formlessness and unravelling…