Yarn bombs. Craftivism is awesome.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Also:

Art > Rioting.

Something's got to give.  It's not happening the way I expected, and that's my FAVORITE PART.  I have been SURPRISED, and that, let me tell you, is the most refreshing thing I can remember happening in more than a decade.

This has completely made my fucking week.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Seriously.  No sleep in forever, I was getting kind of run down and depressed, and now I feel happy.

[Cardinal Pizza Deliverance.]

Yeah, I love yarn bombing. The bull for instance, went up over night. It was all cut off pretty much the next day but everyone who saw it got a kick.

And yeah, as Nigel confirmed, the pieces are made before-hand and then they are put into place and closed with a seam. Crochet seams take only a few seconds for simple pieces and minutes for longer or more complex so it's very easy to make the parts, put them in place, secure them on, and run away giggling like a loon before anyone notices.

Red Heart is pretty indestructible, it looks fine for months. Wool and cotton, though, get matted and nasty super quick.

Some yarn-bombers leave little tags like "pull here!" so the seams can be undone and the piece doesn't have to be cut off. That way the yarn can be reused after a quick wash, if the opportunity arises.

It is pretty awesome and nothing is damaged or permanently altered. It's just a quick way to brighten things up and get a giggle.

[LMNO]

I think it hits all the sweet spots for a classic O:M.

A true "WTF" moment, not reliant on anything but its own oddness.

[Cardinal Pizza Deliverance.]

Here are some of my favorite yarn-bombing images.





This whole thing : http://www.demilked.com/yarn-bombing/

[LMNO]

Those stairs are wonderful.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Also:

Art > Rioting.

Something's got to give.  It's not happening the way I expected, and that's my FAVORITE PART.  I have been SURPRISED, and that, let me tell you, is the most refreshing thing I can remember happening in more than a decade.

This has completely made my fucking week.

I kind of anticipate people just FREAKING OUT and putting art EVERYWHERE.

ART PANIC!

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

My favorite bridge was yarnbombed this year for its 100th birthday:

http://www.koin.com/2013/07/21/29520-autosave/

[Kai]

can you elaborate?

I was away at a seminar, but basically: Public art is for reclaiming public space, but who is the reclamation for? In some cases, public art installations can cause gentrification, pushing poor people out of their neighborhoods. In that case, the reclamation is for the "invaders", not the people living there.

[Cardinal Pizza Deliverance.]

Here's a video of the bull getting yarn bombed. It might help provide a clear-er picture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT0HhNvDFRQ

[Reginald Ret]

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.

I love you.

Also:

Art > Rioting.

Something's got to give. It's not happening the way I expected, and that's my FAVORITE PART.  I have been SURPRISED, and that, let me tell you, is the most refreshing thing I can remember happening in more than a decade.

This has completely made my fucking week.

I love you too.

can you elaborate?

I was away at a seminar, but basically: Public art is for reclaiming public space, but who is the reclamation for? In some cases, public art installations can cause gentrification, pushing poor people out of their neighborhoods. In that case, the reclamation is for the "invaders", not the people living there.

And I love you.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Here's a video of the bull getting yarn bombed. It might help provide a clear-er picture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT0HhNvDFRQ

Artists like OLEK are a whole different category from the yarn-taggers; that is, completely and undeniably, Real Art.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

The tank cozy is STILL cracking me up.   

[Cardinal Pizza Deliverance.]

Here's a video of the bull getting yarn bombed. It might help provide a clear-er picture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT0HhNvDFRQ

Artists like OLEK are a whole different category from the yarn-taggers; that is, completely and undeniably, Real Art.

Yeah, but the same methods are used. Just different applications.

[Cramulus]

In some cases, public art installations can cause gentrification, pushing poor people out of their neighborhoods. In that case, the reclamation is for the "invaders", not the people living there.

I can see the analogy between public art and territorial markers

but I wouldn't say art causes gentrification, or that yarn bombing might actually push people out of a neighborhood


That line of criticism seems like an attack on any public art which wasn't created by the locals. I can understand the resentment at that, it would be alienating to have some art you don't resonate with dominating your neighborhood. However, I do think it's pointing at a symptom of a problem rather than the cause of it. I don't think the issues surrounding gentrification can be resolved by limiting the self-expression of the "invading" group. And if those sorts of prohibitions were in place, it would also likely limit marginalized groups trying to fight their way into the neighborhood.

just my two cents