Assignment #3 - Artist #2

OLEK - Yarnbombing

"A loop after a loop. Hour after hour my madness becomes crochet. Life and art are inseparable. The movies I watch while crocheting influence my work, and my work dictates the films I select. I crochet everything that enters my space. Sometimes it’s a text message, a medical report, found objects. There is the unraveling, the ephemeral part of my work that never lets me forget about the limited life of the art object and art concept. What do I intend to reveal? You have to pull the end of the yarn and unravel the story behind the crochet.

My work changes from place to place. I studied the science of culture. With a miner’s work ethic, I long to delve deeper and deeper into my investigations. My art was a development that took me away from industrial, close-minded Silesia, Poland. It has always sought to bring color and life, energy, and surprise to the living space. My goal is to produce new work and share it with the public. I intend to take advantage of living in NYC with various neighborhoods and, with my actions, create a feedback to the economic and social reality in our community." (from artists website http://oleknyc.com/about)

 

This project of Olek's took four assistants 2 full days to construct. It entailed covering a Locomotive in Poland entirely with crochet. In regards to this work she said that, “I think I should call this train ‘deadly romance.’ I love it, but it almost killed me. I want to see it again, but I am avoiding it. It is calling my name. But I know how much pain it caused. I am totally in love with it, but hate it in the same time. If the natural progression is to make bigger better pieces, what should I make next? Can someone give me a plane? Or should I go to the moon?”(http://www.boredpanda.com/crocheted-locomotive-olek-lodz-poland/)

As I have previously mentioned, textiles are currently of interest to myself and my group partner and I think this piece accurately reflects how textiles can add colour and whimsy to a dark, grey and industrial object or place.

I have struggled to find information about the artist herself, but judging from her chosen projects she likes to make light of darkened issues and places. She is a very valuable artist to research for this project as our installation space will be in the dark, grey, industrialised space of City West and this project shows that even the greyest and most utilitarian objects can be transformed into a colourful explosion that adds light and beauty to a space.