Illumin-Knit: Memories
Knitted Sculpture with Light
2018
These sculptures are an extension of my original “Illumin-Knit” series (see below), taking the idea of the free-standing, hollow form with light under it and using it to represent my specific moods over time.
This series is meant to be viewed as a personal reflection on my life throughout a given week; creating a collection of five representing the month of October 2018. The body of each form is made up of 6 rows for each weekday and each section has a stitch pattern reflective of my day. If the pattern is steady and consistent, then I had a good day; if the pattern is scattered and all over, then that day was more stressful. They are all arranged in a circle, so that the viewer may see a continuous flow of my emotions and how everything is connected.
The Original Illumin-Knits
Knitted Sculpture with Light
2018
The story of “Illumin-knits” is an interesting one that starts with my glowing tide pool paintings and paper mache projects with my students. I’ve always been interested in surrealism and the worlds I can create, but being able to take the physical knitted form and fill it with glowing light adds a new dimension to my work.
Meant to replicate the dreams and fantasies I so often reference, these sculptures utilize light to create a more tangible representation of these feelings. These airy, open forms lend themselves to reminding viewers of clouds and molecular structures – both of which can also represent dreams and feelings. The light inside is seen as a way to create prominence within certain areas of the sculpture, particularly the largest (base) form. The attached, smaller forms do not catch as much light, and as such represent the less important, sometimes forgotten parts of our subconscious.
Playing with it even further, in some cases I choose to present them with mirrors behind and below, using reflection to act as a way to show the untouchable parts of our dreams and how they eventually fade and disappear.