Metal
One of my reasons for doing this MA was to have the opportunity to use materials and processes other than knitting and stitch, and see whether those skills can be readily transferred to resistant materials.
I chose to use aluminium. It's relatively cheap and easy to work with.
I made two forms, both involving a range of skills - cutting, punching holes, drilling and riveting. I found the processes very satisfying, but wasn't so keen on the outcomes. How can I gain skills with other materials and processes in 2 years to match the skills I have acquired over a lifetime? Maybe it doesn't need to be about skill, but more about concept?
I couldn't help thinking, as I was working on these forms, that the processes are quite similar to working with cloth, except everything was harder on the hands, and the tools were more dangerous. I am of the generation where girls didn't learn to use power tools at school; we learned to cook and stitch. I find that working with power tools is very empowering.
I like to regard a rivet as a stitch. I've written elsewhere about a staple as a stitch, and I consider a rivet as a stitch too.
I chose to use aluminium. It's relatively cheap and easy to work with.
I made two forms, both involving a range of skills - cutting, punching holes, drilling and riveting. I found the processes very satisfying, but wasn't so keen on the outcomes. How can I gain skills with other materials and processes in 2 years to match the skills I have acquired over a lifetime? Maybe it doesn't need to be about skill, but more about concept?
I couldn't help thinking, as I was working on these forms, that the processes are quite similar to working with cloth, except everything was harder on the hands, and the tools were more dangerous. I am of the generation where girls didn't learn to use power tools at school; we learned to cook and stitch. I find that working with power tools is very empowering.
I like to regard a rivet as a stitch. I've written elsewhere about a staple as a stitch, and I consider a rivet as a stitch too.
Aluminium form 1
I rubbed this with wire wool when I'd made it, which gave it a much more finished surface. I think I prefer the rougher finish though.
Aluminium form 2
I had planned to rivet the two ends of this piece together to make a continuous form, like the other one, but in the end decided not to as my favourite thing about it was the way it moved!
Here's a video of the sculpture moving, threaded with a long red knitted soft sculpture:
Aluminium forms with knitting
I find the combination of the metal and my red knitting quite compelling.The contrast between the hard, shiny surface of the aluminium and the highly textured, soft knitted sculpture is visually and conceptually interesting. Roszika Parker discusses the gendering of materials; she would assign stereotypical associations to knitting as women's work, with a range of attached femininities; metal, however would have masculine associations.
I photographed the metal forms with the knitting in various ways - on a flat surface, on the wall. I threaded the long knitted pieces through the holes in the aluminium forms, again, rather like a stitch. There are some interesting reflections of the knitting in the metal.
I would like to explore these ideas further.
Parker, R. (2010) The subversive stitch; embroidery and the making of the feminine. 2nd edn. London and New York: Taurus
I photographed the metal forms with the knitting in various ways - on a flat surface, on the wall. I threaded the long knitted pieces through the holes in the aluminium forms, again, rather like a stitch. There are some interesting reflections of the knitting in the metal.
I would like to explore these ideas further.
Parker, R. (2010) The subversive stitch; embroidery and the making of the feminine. 2nd edn. London and New York: Taurus
