Welcome to our Discussion Post. The format is that we all contribute a few sentences in response to the lead question—use the comments section below. Then we reply to other people’s comments, just like we’re chatting over a cup of coffee.
I want to raise the subject of yarn bombing. Since Magda Sayeg of Houston, Texas, covered her boutique shop door handle with a knitted cosy in 2005, yarn bombing, otherwise known as yarn storming, has spread to become a worldwide phenomenon, and Magda’s artistic practice has blossomed in tandem. On her website she explains:
The work is about displacement: taking soft, hand-made material and putting it where it doesn’t seem to belong. When scale shifts and context changes, familiar things become something else entirely.
After such a good reaction to her knitted door handle cosy, Magda decided to do something similar in a more public place. She covered the stop sign pole near her house and the reaction she got was wild apparently.
Yarn Bombing as Activism
When tactile materials and bright colours temporarily lift the mood in a street or a square, with individuals and groups having prepared months in advance, yarn bombing day—June 11—is a day for celebration.
Having come together to plan the work, then knit and crochet the pieces, such collaborative efforts result in new projects each year. By highlighting objects in the local area that in daily life might be overlooked—a line of trees, a postbox, a bicycle—it draws attention to everyday objects, and it probably makes us smile.
It wasn’t long before Magda’s idea took hold, and then it turned toward more serious subjects; making a bold statement became activism in the political sense. It’s a soft form of activism. An example of this would be a statue associated with war; when such an object is yarn bombed the message is candid and clearly aimed at a much wider audience than the local populace.
Yarn Bombing as Street Art
It often appears overnight, without having been ‘approved’ by local authorities. As such, it’s illicit like graffiti.
Is June 11 celebrated in this way in your street, town, or city?
Is yarn bombing welcomed as an annual creative practice where you live?
Credits, Notes and Links
Image is from Modern Parents Messy Kids.
The Magda Sayeg quote is from her website.
Q. Where do you stand on yarn bombing?
Over to you… ⤵️
Hello Yasmin.
Well, I didn’t know yarn bombing has its own day.
I’ve seen it in town (Cockermouth) from time to time over the years. I guess I don’t like the idea of synthetic fibres containing microplastics and who knows what around tree trunks, the post box etc.
I didn't know it had its own day, June 11. Yarn bombing seems to be a fad that faded shortly before COVID. In the center of city park there is a statue in a fountain that is a circle of children holding hands and dancing. Every winter there are handknit winter hats, scarves and mittens on the children of the statue. I love yarn bombing -- adds a bit of whimsy to the neighborhood.