Yarn bombing
あなたはヤーン ボンビングを知っていますか？ペンキやチョークではなく、ニットやかぎ針編みの糸や繊維をカラフルにディスプレイするグラフィティやストリート アートの一種です。(English) Yarn bombing (or yarnbombing) is a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted yarn or fiber rather than paint or chalk.
Yarn bombing
1)
Yarn bombing (or yarnbombing) is a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted yarn or fiber rather than paint or chalk.
2)
Motivation
While other forms of graffiti may be expressive, decorative, territorial, socio-political commentary, advertising, or vandalism, yarn bombing was initially almost exclusively about reclaiming and personalizing sterile or cold public places.
It has since developed with groups of graffiti knitting and crocheting worldwide, each with its agendas and public graffiti knitting projects being run.
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The women and girls who make up the yarn bombing subculture are diverse in race, age, sexuality, class, etc., and create space for themselves and their art everywhere, from college campuses to public parks.
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History
The practice is believed to have originated in the U.S. with Texas knitters trying to find a creative way to use their leftover and unfinished knitting projects, but it has since spread worldwide.
The start of this movement has been attributed to Magda Sayeg, from Houston, who says she first got the idea in 2005 when she covered the door handle of her boutique with a custom-made cozy.
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The movement moved on from simple 'cozies' with the innovation of the 'stitched story.'
The 'stitched story concept' uses characters and items to tell a narrative or show a theme. This was first recorded with the Knit the City collective's "Web of Woe" installation in August 2009.
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Yarn bombing's popularity has spread throughout the world. For example, in Oklahoma City, the Collected Thread store yarn bombed the Plaza District of the city on 9 September 2011 to celebrate its third anniversary as a functioning shop.
Joann Matvichuk of Lethbridge, Alberta, founded International Yarnbombing Day, which was first observed on 11 June 2011.
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The Craft Club Yarnbombers in Essex became Guinness World Record holders in 2014 for the largest display of crochet sculptures when they yarnbombed a children's hospice with 13,388 crocheted items.
Yarn Bombing Los Angeles (YBLA) is a yarn bombing collective located in Los Angeles, California. The collective describes itself as a group of guerrilla knitters collaborating since 2010.
They hold monthly meetings to develop plans for events, share techniques, build their collective community, etc. They currently have 10+ projects in progress throughout Los Angeles and nearby neighborhoods.
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Legality
While yarn installations - called yarn bombs or yarn storms - may last for years, they are considered non-permanent and can be easily removed if necessary, unlike other forms of graffiti.
Nonetheless, the practice is still technically illegal in some jurisdictions, though it is not often prosecuted vigorously.
9)
Criticisms
Yarn bombing has been under some scrutiny for the potential negative environmental impact that the yarn can have when placed on plant life.
Yarn can restrict sap production on trees and constrict growth. In addition, the knitted material requires removal and cleaning up; if left behind, installations become soggy and synthetic fibers litter the environment.
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The street artist Olek has bombed New York City icons such as the Wall Street bull and the Astor Place Cube.
They faced legal trouble after their unauthorized installation in an underwater museum allegedly damaged marine life, the very cause they were attempting to raise awareness for.
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One building in Bushwick called "The Moonshine Kingdom" was met with arguments that spray graffiti is prosecuted as illicit. In contrast, modern white yarn graffiti is not criminalized.
Public outcry concerning the installation labeled this type of graffiti a symbol of gentrification.
Although an article by The New York Times claims a double standard in criticism of yarnbombing and that women's work is seen as "cutesy" and inherently less valuable.
Yarn bombing - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarn_bombing