April 2012
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Knitting Rebellion - Syria
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Watch‘Knitting a revolution, one stitch at a time’
This is an incredible example of craftivism. Originally distributed by Reuters on March 3, 2012, this video shows a group of Syrian rebels crafting their own rebel flags and uniforms in resistance to the Assad regime. Here we see craft as a tool of resistance and as a tool of empowerment.
text transcript via jpost.com:
Activists defy...
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March 2012
27 posts
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War Knitting
“During World War II, everyone in Owosso, Michigan was involved on the home front, even grade-school kids like me who were asked to knit afghans for wounded soldiers.
All of us had relatives in the service and realized we were part of the war effort. I was 10 years old in 1943 and really enjoyed the knitting. I think I did it for a while before I drifter onto other things.
This...
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Knit a Uterus to Donate to a Congressman in Need
I am so excited to have found this on Jezebel today. I think responding to the recent shaming legislation with craftivism is fantastic!
text & images via www.governmentfreevjj.com:
The Snatchel Project: Let’s make a uterus or VJJ for each male rep in congress!
If they have their own, they can leave ours alone!
Who Are We?
We are women, we are strong, we are smart. And we have a...
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Margarita Benitez, artist
Margarita Benitez is an art + technology and fiber artist based in Chicago + Miami. She is interested in the explorations of art within the making and DIY culture. Her work is rooted in exploring underlying social issues in technology – exploring how today’s society copes with the overwhelming presence of technology, surveillance, data mining and media bombardment. Her work has been exhibited...
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'HANDMADE: when design & craft meet' - article by...
Today I came across an excellent article by Lidewij Edelkoort. Edelkoort discusses how globalization and mass production has driven us to seek unique experiences: experiences which can be found in craft. This is exactly what I’ve been researching, but Edelkoort writes it far more eloquently and succinctly than I ever could. I started to paste in some of the highlights, but soon realized I...
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Stéphanie Baechler - artist
text & images via stephaniebaechler.com:
FABRIC project
Starting point for my project are formations, shapes and material combinations that result from the rather accidental than conscious every day actions of human life. I was inspired by curtains, fabric pleats, plastic bags, fabrics that happened to be spread on the floor, wrapped objects and creased blankets. The sheer fascination...
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DIYcouture
DIYcouture is a fantastic project by Rosie Martin. Her empowering project is an answer to a fashion industry that is driven by a fictional narrative; one where all women are size 0 - 2 and have plenty of money to spend. Martin makes fashion more accessible by selling affordable instructions to clothes she designs, giving power to the consumer who ultimately creates their own garment.
text via...
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Adventures in Mindmapping Craftivism
New post on counter-craft.org: Where do DIY and craft(ivism) converge & depart in history? …in a protest setting?
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Ruth Scheuing - Silk Roads
Last week I was focusing on ‘slow textiles’. This week I found myself searching for artists who have blended traditional textiles and modern technology. I came across artist Ruth Scheuing. Below is an interview from her Surrey Art Gallery Tech Lab Residency in 2010. To view more of her work from Silk Roads, visit her website.
from the residency pamphlet (available in a Google Docs...
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London 2012: mystery knitter leaves...
via http://www.telegraph.co.uk:
A mystery knitter has left a huge Olympics-themed knitted work on the pier in Saltburn-by-the-Sea near Teesside.
Pictures: Richard Rayner / North News & Pictures
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The Church of Craft
“The Church of Craft aims to create an environment where any and all acts of making have value to our humanness. When we find moments of creation in our everyday activities, we also find simple satisfaction. The power of creating gives us the confidence to live our lives with all the love we can. By promoting creativity, we offer access to an interfaith spiritual practice that is...
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Knitting Through Disaster
via Wall Street Journal:
“The members of a knitting group at a tsunami-ravaged fishing village share the difficulties that thousands of homeless victims still face nearly a year after disaster swept away their lives.”
“Knitting is popular in Japan. When Ms. Sawka showed up at the Daiichi Sports Field housing complex with donated yarn, several women started using it to make...
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occupyknit-in.org
In December I interviewed Max Ventura about Occupy Berkeley’s ‘Knit-In at the Sit-In’. Today I got an email from Max announcing their new website, occupyknit-in.org. One of my favorite features on the site is the feedback they’ve posted from the places they sent knitted items to. They’ve sent items to Cairo, Fukushima, Canada, and New York.
Recently, Occupy Newfoundland...
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WatchCanadian-born journalist Carl Honore has written for The Economist, the Houston Chronicle, the Observer, and the National Post, but he is best known for his advocacy of the Slow Movement. A loose and international effort by the harried and haggard to decelerate the pace of their lives, the Slow Movement spans everything from telecommunications (slow email) and health care (slow medicine) to diet...
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Can craft contribute to urban development? The New... →
Karen Yair wrote an interesting article exploring the ways we can bring about change through craft. I’m excited that she mentions the course I was in last semester with Professor Nitin Sawhney. Yair is a researcher, writer and educator with a passion for creative social innovation and the creative industries.
