The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef Travels and other interesting sites.

In the past few months i have been bathing in the lush world of fibers ~ my creatures have been gathering interest and have been in some shows; i have been exposed to new and different techniques and amazing artists; and I have been discovering wonderful articles and information on interesting blogs and websites. I have wanted to share these discoveries here and tonight after watching this video I figured I would share a few of my finds.

As i forge deeper into this luscious and intricate world of fiber art i am aware of a quiet connectedness, a sense of community, as if the rich history of fiber work and handicraft is still present and binding the people and the work together. An example of what i mean is the story of how i learned about this video. On Veteran's day, when the girls were out of school I took them and two of their friends to the Boston Museum of Science. A great museum for the girls to play for long periods with the many exhibits so i came prepared ~ I brought my crocheting. And while i was curled up on a bench crocheting and another mom was intrigued. She asked if i was following a pattern and i explained my 'organic' approach to crocheting. This reminded her of an article she saw on the web about crocheting, science and mathematics. I was interested so I gave her my card in case she remembered where she saw it. Well the next day she sent me the link to this article and the video about this crocheted coral reef and the story behind it. Here Margaret Wertheim speaks of how crocheting is the only way to model a certain mathematical theory and how their coral reef project has grown exponentially including many from around the world. This reminded me of Mandy Greer's work ~ a community forming around these artistic endeavors. I found this video very interesting especially after dropping my creatures off at the Harbor Gallery for their Art Organic show ~ so see what you think. The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef Travels from Ireland to the Smithsonian.

Another one of my favorite 'fiber' finds is the artist Joetta Maue and her blog. I love to read her blog, it introduces many wonderful shows and artists ~ in fact her most recent post was about a show in London: Louise Bourgeois: Fabric Works. :) Joetta's work is beautiful and inspiring - i love her uses of old linens. This is an example of her work, on the right.

The last artist is will share this evening (as it is way past my bed time) is Abigail Doan. I discovered her work surfing the web and was memorized. Her blog is also a great read ~ showing many interesting works. I was particularly intrigued with the Knitted, Knotted, Netted show.

And this is just a tiny fraction of all the amazing work out there (which can be intimidating!!!) And many of the artists that i am drawn to do talk about a 'community' with their work, which is what i was trying to allude to earlier. There seems to be an invisible web connecting these works and the artists and the viewers. I see my interaction at the science museum as an example ~ how this mother and i have made a connection. In fact after she looked at my web site she realized that she knew my dress project work, and in fact she had pictures of some of my dresses on her phone. My brain is a little tired to clearly explain this sense of connection but I do feel there is something about 'handiwork' that softens people, breaks down some barriers and lets us connect a little more. I think this is shown in the tremendous interest in knitting and crocheting after 9/11.

I invite you to take a look at these artists and there will be more to come - I promise!!

peace & good night!!