I’m enrolled at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago, and one of my classes is in sustainable fiber arts. I have never taken a fiber arts course in my life. Actually, yes I have, it was Home-Ec in Gr 8, and I think I got a C+ which scarred me from ever making anything again for the rest of my life, until now.
My professor had us make a loom to weave for homework two months ago, which created a new obsession for me. I like weaving because I’m an old-soul at heart, and weaving is a traditional arts & crafts process that dates back to early civilizations in all parts of the world. The fuzzy tactility of yarn is comforting, and the paper is fun because I feel that I can draw with the paper when I weave it into my weaving- kind of like layering the whole process.
I’ve always wanted to be a graffiti artist, not for the “cool” aspect, but for the fact that the artist turns any surface into his/her own surface by painting, avoiding the whole process of galleries and expensive promotions, and just putting their work out there for the whole world to see and critique. It’s quite vulnerable to expose oneself out into the world, without the safety net of a gallery setting which deems the work “art”.
Isn’t the whole process of making & viewing art to constantly redefine the term “art”? Without a constant flux in the definition of art, artists free themselves from the constrictions of labels, genres, and categories that can restrict further expression.
Enough of my academic rantings…
The thing about weaving that I enjoy so much is the idea that a weaving can happen anywhere, such as between a parking sign. It just takes a long time, so the area I can cover is smaller than I would like it to be within 1.5hrs.
graffitiweave 