hand knitted wool, knitting needles
Nobody 3, installed at 'Unravelling: an exhibition of knitting and crochet art',
Bow Arts Ice House Studios, London, October 2016
(Click for the full image)
I am a compulsive outdoor swimmer and I especially love being immersed in the sea so I set out to knit a large abstract wave. I have knitted a number of versions of the sea over the years and I return happily to this palette time and again. I often choose to knit the sea when I’m near the sea on holiday, so it also induces memories of relaxation and happy times.
Observing the sea in many conditions, for this piece I was especially interested in capturing the constantly varying textures of the sea, so I used different sculptural knitting techniques in ever increasing concentric circles in a range of blues. Naturally, I am unable to emulate the fleeting nature of those changes through knitting, but it has a pleasing aesthetic.
I was working on this piece alongside my research into my Nobodies series. I was in the process of making the other two Nobodies, considering them as a diptych, but then realised that this knitted piece worked extremely well as Nobody 3. There’s something about the colour and its abject form when hanging that completes the triptych. It’s also a very similar size and shape and it fits well with the concept. Knitting for me is comforting, part of me and the wellbeing that creativity brings is a very important part of my practice. And so my wave began its life as a Nobody….
Nobodies, 2014, installed at Synecdoche, Embassy tea gallery, London, June
(Click for full image)
I haven’t continued knitting it since then, although it is technically unfinished and still has two balls of wool attached to it. I like to leave much of my knitted work unfinished as it brings an added sense of vulnerability to it as it can potentially unravel….. and often it does! I find that it also makes many people uncomfortable; they feel an intense need to ‘rescue’ the unravelling stitches.
It also means I could carry on knitting….
I have installed it in a number of different situations, sometimes with the other Nobodies, but more often not. It was part of my Multitude installation at PRILIC in December 2017:
Nobody 3 at PRILIC, Dec 2017, as part of a poignant dance response by Impermanence Dance Theatre.
I have worn it as well, of course, as part of my Wearing the unwearable series. Click for full image:
I have also had the image above framed as a fine art print which potentially means I can present it to a wider audience. This was exhibited at Synecdoche's Bodies exhibition at Southmead Hospital from March to July 2017 as part of the Fresh Arts programme.