Verisimilitude ‘Real: Further Development’
Magda Sayeg, considered the founder of Yarn Bombing, seeks to explore the conversation between her material, woven fiber pieces, and the environment. She draws attention to objects within an environment that would otherwise fade into the background, and does this without taking away its identity, or stopping its functioning. The yarn pieces redefine the space and in that way are sculptural.
Provocation
Magda seeks to preserve an objects functionality, but what would it take to strip the functionality away? In a conversation with James we discussed Spider Webs and how the natural reaction is a desire to avoid breaking or moving through them. The word that came up multiple times was ‘boundary’, and how something so fragile can shut off a space outright. I want to explore space and how hands as an extension of a person interacts with interventions to said space. This includes the mental aspect of spatial interactions in conjunction with the physical aspect. I think the intersection between the two is a super interesting playground.
Material and Process
I started with thinking about spaces where spider webs are found, and then where you wouldn’t want a web to be. I thought about what barrier or boundary a web could create, and where would you not want one. There were so many good places, such as covering a whole car, or in a very public place that forced viewers to move around it and therefore become inconvenienced. These ideas, however, were very grand and would take more time than I was able to invest. My conclusion was an enclosed space, where one had to place their hand into. I decided on a jar. The opening was only just big enough for my hand to pass through which meant creating anything inside would be awkward.
The second problem was then the web itself. I knew, after looking at Yarn Bombing art, that thread was the most interesting aspect, but I was unsure as to how to construct the web. I was inspired by tatting (lace weaving), to create a net out of embroidery thread. In the thinking process I decided to flip the yarn bombing idea on its head, and make the thread piece the afterthought in the viewers mind. Yarn bombing is colourful and draws attention, while my web is to be subtle and unassuming until the viewer is drawn in through other means, and is then turned away by the web. Having something bright and desirable, like sweets, means the expectation is raised before being dropped out from under the viewer when they realise they are unobtainable.
Presentation
I will present this work through photo documentation. The work translates itself into photos quite well, because it will be all about the inaccessibility of the sweets, and what better way to frame that feeling but a photo. There is physically no way to get the sweets, just the thought of how to get past the web, or whether the viewers hand would fit in the jar. If we could do in person work , I would leave the Jar to be interacted with by the viewers. I think the various reactions and attempts at interaction would be very interesting to capture on photos.
