Yarn bombs. Craftivism is awesome.

[Cramulus]

can you elaborate?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

However, in my experience the majority of yarn taggers ARE well-off white women who think of themselves as activists or subversives. Two of our local groups are called "Yarn Knot Bombs" and something something about yarn anarchy.

yeah, I'm with you, I don't think the taggers race/class is relevant

public spaces are for the public

The thing is, race/class/gentrification issues are complex, and simple statements like that don't tend to map to the real landscape very well.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

The tank.   

I LOVE THIS SHIT.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/05/us-yarn-bombers-idUSTRE71427O20110205

Anonymity remains a hallmark of the yarn-bomber. One known locally as Slip Yum Yum, who recently moved from Richmond, Virginia, to Portland, would only contact Reuters via email through an anonymous third-party associate.

"We work hard to keep a low profile and only communicate digitally," said the go-between, who in turn would only self-identify as "Knit 1."

One reason for all the secrecy is to avoid any potential brush with the law. But so far the authorities in Portland hardly seem to be in the verge of a crackdown.

Kelli Sheffer, a Portland Police Bureau spokeswoman, said yarn bombing could be considered littering, but added: "If folks think putting a scarf on a statue is risky behavior, then we're glad they get a sense of doing something daring without being more destructive."

It's fucking ART, and ART NEEDS NO EXCUSES OR PERMISSION.

I find Sheffer's wording to be a little odd.  "more destructive"?

[Cramulus]

However, in my experience the majority of yarn taggers ARE well-off white women who think of themselves as activists or subversives. Two of our local groups are called "Yarn Knot Bombs" and something something about yarn anarchy.

yeah, I'm with you, I don't think the taggers race/class is relevant

public spaces are for the public

The thing is, race/class/gentrification issues are complex, and simple statements like that don't tend to map to the real landscape very well.

I'm still confused, sorry.

I think everybody should be allowed to beautify the space they live in. (even for subjective definitions of "beautify") If I see some pretty yarn breaking up a homogenous row of parking meters, the race/class of the person who created it is invisible to me anyway.

Just wondering, do you think project postergasm is problematic too? I've always hoped that it empowers people to add some humor to their environments and challenges the predominance of advertising. I'd find it very troubling if that form of expression is intensifying race/class tension; I'm trying to understand how stuff like yarn bombing and culture jamming can get tripped up on that stuff.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/05/us-yarn-bombers-idUSTRE71427O20110205

Anonymity remains a hallmark of the yarn-bomber. One known locally as Slip Yum Yum, who recently moved from Richmond, Virginia, to Portland, would only contact Reuters via email through an anonymous third-party associate.

"We work hard to keep a low profile and only communicate digitally," said the go-between, who in turn would only self-identify as "Knit 1."

One reason for all the secrecy is to avoid any potential brush with the law. But so far the authorities in Portland hardly seem to be in the verge of a crackdown.

Kelli Sheffer, a Portland Police Bureau spokeswoman, said yarn bombing could be considered littering, but added: "If folks think putting a scarf on a statue is risky behavior, then we're glad they get a sense of doing something daring without being more destructive."

It's fucking ART, and ART NEEDS NO EXCUSES OR PERMISSION.

I find Sheffer's wording to be a little odd.  "more destructive"?

It is minimally destructive, in that it is easy enough to clean up when it gets old and gross.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

However, in my experience the majority of yarn taggers ARE well-off white women who think of themselves as activists or subversives. Two of our local groups are called "Yarn Knot Bombs" and something something about yarn anarchy.

yeah, I'm with you, I don't think the taggers race/class is relevant

public spaces are for the public

The thing is, race/class/gentrification issues are complex, and simple statements like that don't tend to map to the real landscape very well.

I'm still confused, sorry.

I think everybody should be allowed to beautify the space they live in. (even for subjective definitions of "beautify") If I see some pretty yarn breaking up a homogenous row of parking meters, the race/class of the person who created it is invisible to me anyway.

Just wondering, do you think project postergasm is problematic too? I've always hoped that it empowers people to add some humor to their environments and challenges the predominance of advertising. I'd find it very troubling if that form of expression is intensifying race/class tension; I'm trying to understand how stuff like yarn bombing and culture jamming can get tripped up on that stuff.

I think you are misunderstanding me. I don't have a problem with yarn bombing, I think it's fun and cute. I just can see validity in the perspectives of a few of the people who do have issues with it. The tensions surrounding gentrification is one of those valid issues where there are questions.

[Cramulus]

I'm just trying to understand what the issues are, because the arguments in the links weren't entirely clear to me.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/05/us-yarn-bombers-idUSTRE71427O20110205

Anonymity remains a hallmark of the yarn-bomber. One known locally as Slip Yum Yum, who recently moved from Richmond, Virginia, to Portland, would only contact Reuters via email through an anonymous third-party associate.

"We work hard to keep a low profile and only communicate digitally," said the go-between, who in turn would only self-identify as "Knit 1."

One reason for all the secrecy is to avoid any potential brush with the law. But so far the authorities in Portland hardly seem to be in the verge of a crackdown.

Kelli Sheffer, a Portland Police Bureau spokeswoman, said yarn bombing could be considered littering, but added: "If folks think putting a scarf on a statue is risky behavior, then we're glad they get a sense of doing something daring without being more destructive."

It's fucking ART, and ART NEEDS NO EXCUSES OR PERMISSION.

I find Sheffer's wording to be a little odd.  "more destructive"?

It is minimally destructive, in that it is easy enough to clean up when it gets old and gross.

I suppose that's true.  BUT STILL.  I love this shit, and I support it unconditionally...Because more people need to LOSE THEIR SHIT, and this method of doing so doesn't get anyone hurt.

Bad Times tend to generate Great Art, mostly because peoples' safety valves are all lashed down with bailing wire.  And when that art starts spontaneously appearing, or being orchestrated by some HILARIOUS "secret society", I feel like I am getting just a little glimpse of the way the world was SUPPOSED TO BE.  Only minus the giant lizards and shit (you can't have EVERYTHING).

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I don't  think postergasm has those same issues at all. The reason yarnbombing does is because it is embraced by a very particular demographic which happens to also sometimes conflict with a particular other demographic. Under specific circumstances, such as in the case of a recently gentrified urban neighborhood that was majority black prior to gentrification, I can very easily see why yarnbombing could be seen as emblematic of displacement and disenfranchisement to people feeling newly alienated in their own neighborhood, as one of the interesting problems with mostly-white gentrification of poorer black neighborhoods is that normally, the black residents are very visibly excluded from the new changes; all the decisions are made by white people with money, employees in the new businesses are mostly white, and so on.

Postergasm has no similar baggage.

A side note: Some businesses, like our local upscale grocery store New Seasons, have very deliberately and consciously made efforts to strike back against this trend by actively involving neighborhood residents and recruiting for employees within a neighborhood they are locating in. Specifically, hiring young black male employees in highly visible customer service positions, which you NEVER see them in here. It may be contrived but it helps a lot.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/05/us-yarn-bombers-idUSTRE71427O20110205

Anonymity remains a hallmark of the yarn-bomber. One known locally as Slip Yum Yum, who recently moved from Richmond, Virginia, to Portland, would only contact Reuters via email through an anonymous third-party associate.

"We work hard to keep a low profile and only communicate digitally," said the go-between, who in turn would only self-identify as "Knit 1."

One reason for all the secrecy is to avoid any potential brush with the law. But so far the authorities in Portland hardly seem to be in the verge of a crackdown.

Kelli Sheffer, a Portland Police Bureau spokeswoman, said yarn bombing could be considered littering, but added: "If folks think putting a scarf on a statue is risky behavior, then we're glad they get a sense of doing something daring without being more destructive."

It's fucking ART, and ART NEEDS NO EXCUSES OR PERMISSION.

I find Sheffer's wording to be a little odd.  "more destructive"?

It is minimally destructive, in that it is easy enough to clean up when it gets old and gross.

I suppose that's true.  BUT STILL.  I love this shit, and I support it unconditionally...Because more people need to LOSE THEIR SHIT, and this method of doing so doesn't get anyone hurt.

Bad Times tend to generate Great Art, mostly because peoples' safety valves are all lashed down with bailing wire.  And when that art starts spontaneously appearing, or being orchestrated by some HILARIOUS "secret society", I feel like I am getting just a little glimpse of the way the world was SUPPOSED TO BE.  Only minus the giant lizards and shit (you can't have EVERYTHING).

The thing that I like about it is that if it makes a bored white housewife feel subversive and counterculture, GOOD.

JUST, GOOD. How is it ever bad for someone to rebel against a horrible, oppressive paradigm, even if they are rebelling in a tiny, petty way? Especially someone who is in most ways essentially powerless? Even better if they're rebelling in a cute fuzzy colorful way that irritates Serious People.

[Cramulus]

got it, that makes much more sense, thank you for clarifying.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

The thing that I like about it is that if it makes a bored white housewife feel subversive and counterculture, GOOD.

JUST, GOOD. How is it ever bad for someone to rebel against a horrible, oppressive paradigm, even if they are rebelling in a tiny, petty way? Even better if they're rebelling in a cute fuzzy colorful way that irritates Serious People.

That's the AWESOME part!  There's no THREAT.  But something is happening, and it's being done by persons unknown, so there's a feeling of unease that can't be hammered into one of the standard template response modes.

So the Serious People getting pissed are almost FORCED to bang around inside their skulls for a while, trying to classify this sort of thing, whether or not they are inclined to do so.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I essentially agree with the validity of their arguments, but I have counterarguments that are, in my opinion, stronger. Basically, they are right about the concerns they are voicing, but I think that overall we are still looking at subversive acts done primarily - almost exclusively, in fact - by a demographic that is also largely powerless and voiceless; a demographic who, if their husbands left them, would fare very poorly. They have privilege, but it is largely a privilege conferred upon them by the status of their husbands. So I embrace yarnbombing with all of these issues in mind, including those which cause some people to reject it.

A tiny, petty act of rebellion is still rebellion.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

The thing that I like about it is that if it makes a bored white housewife feel subversive and counterculture, GOOD.

JUST, GOOD. How is it ever bad for someone to rebel against a horrible, oppressive paradigm, even if they are rebelling in a tiny, petty way? Even better if they're rebelling in a cute fuzzy colorful way that irritates Serious People.

That's the AWESOME part!  There's no THREAT.  But something is happening, and it's being done by persons unknown, so there's a feeling of unease that can't be hammered into one of the standard template response modes.

So the Serious People getting pissed are almost FORCED to bang around inside their skulls for a while, trying to classify this sort of thing, whether or not they are inclined to do so.

This is true. It's that thing again, about the reason I like confusing people... it makes them think, even if just for a minute.