Lecture Unravelling Political Knitting

Adrienne Sloane

7:45pm (Doors open at 7:30) - $15.00

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Net Loft: Granville Is. Vancouver BC

From the famous tricoteuse Mme. Defarge (in A Tale of Two Cities) to contemporary yarn bombers, knitters have long been incorporating the political into their stitches.   

As artists, sculptural knitters are offering a visceral response to such contemporary issues as war, climate change, and species preservation. At the same time these makers are bringing knitting back into the public sphere.

This presentation will begin with a look at the historic origins of political knitting and move through the varied responses to wartime in America. Adrienne will include an overview of current trends with particular attention to recent youth-driven knit activism: yarn bombing or yarn graffiti. These politically motivated installations attempt to beautify public spaces while adding a touch of the handmade to industrialized environments.  

Adrienne will also present a survey of her own imagery and explain the challenge and success of using sculptural knitting to speak to political issues. 

BIO

Adrienne Sloane, a Boston-based artist, has exhibited nationally for over 20 years. Her work has been published in Fiberarts Magazine, American Craft, the Surface Design Journal, the Crafts Report, and Fiberarts Design Book Six. With a degree in anthropology, she has married her passion for textiles with one for travel by consulting on knitting projects in Peru and Bolivia. Knitting both by hand and by machine, she is mindful of the historical context of her medium. www.adriennesloane.com.