First a really poorly shot video. Blame my Treo. It is old and only later did I realize that my nano would possibly do a better job.
On Thursday I spent the day traveling to New York to see the opening of Anna's solo show. I have been following her site for ages, have her book and a number of her free standing patterns. I haven't finished one yet (that pesky finishing rears its ugly head again). She has been showing bits and pieces of the process over the past few months.
There is so much detail in this piece. It isn't just a random collection of knitting, but instead the different pieces tell a collection of stories.
I won't tell all of the stories, but if you can get to gallery hanahou sometime during the month you should go and see this in person. My favorite stories included the swamp creatures who had connected their television to a house on the other side of town via a long orange extension cord. From the back, it was a black blog with a long black cord changing to an orange cord. But from the other side, the entire image resolves into its components. It is an aha moment, and I love those.
The installation is not limited to the table. There are interesting informative signs and pieces that are located in interesting locations along the room. While you can see everything in just a few minutes, you don't get the full effect until you spend the extra time and examine the piece from different angles. It is like reading a good book or watching a movie. Sometimes you will see something you didn't notice the first time around.
The piece is not a table. It is definitely three dimensional. Along the sides, the walls and over your head are different pieces to notice. Watching the progress on Anna's blog did give me an in as I tried to find the pieces I knew were part of the installation. However, there are a large number of pieces that never were shown on the blog, so there are things for even her readers to see.
As a knitter it is a great reminder that you don't need a pattern to make something interesting and recognizable. It doesn't always need to be a scarf or a sock, but instead can be a little person in a barrel or a river. Some of the pieces are ones that she already offers patterns for, but tons of them are new. She is offering some parts of the installation (or maybe she has extra made, I didn't ask about that) for sale, but if you want a gnome you can buy the pattern and make one yourself.
The gallery was packed for the opening. The best was seeing a group of young girls being really excited about art. It is easy to say this painting is art or maybe this marble statue, but I think this art is more accessible. Many of the girls were drawing parts of the installation the same way I did in college when I was taking art history. It is amazing seeing a project like this driving people to independently appreciate art. While I was an indifferent art history student (umm, I just didn't like the architecture portion), the observation skills are an important thing to learn.
I loved seeing this, and if I had a reason to head back to New York I would go and see it again. The gallery is only open during the week days, so my opportunities are few and far between. Now just to get that gnome pattern. It would make a great pair of earrings.
