The following are descriptions of a series of crocheted representations of each day, June 24- 27, 2013, made at the Design Inquiry: Station residency in Vinalhaven, ME. Each representation attempts to incorporate key concepts from daily presentations, discussions, and workshops.
On Monday Garreth asked us to “make a map of the space where we find ourselves”; that was the impetus for Monday’s and the subsequent days’ work.
Monday:
The number of stitches in the foundation chain (the width of the piece) was determined by the number of paces it took me to cross the width of the inside of the barn (14). The number of rows was determined by the number of paces it took me to cross the length of the inside of the barn (29). In each row, stitches alternated between double crochet and front post double crochet (or back post double crochet depending on whether I was working on the front or the back of the piece), which created 7 ridges (to represent the 7 presentations that occurred over the day- a very neat thing to come out of the number 14). At the end of the 29 rows, connecting each of the 7 ridges to the next is a representation of a number I thought was significant to each presentation. So, three chains of four stitches to represent the 4 tides (Rachele), the 4 points of the compass (Margo), and 4 notebooks (Patricio & Dan)*; one chain of three stitches for Laura’s 3 wooden shapes; one chain of sixty for Anita’s 60-minute subway journeys, and a series of 10 segments of 7 stitches each, to represent Brooke & Matt’s 700, 000 years of the kitchen.
*later the 4 notebooks were to become 5, but this “map” remains accurate as it is meant to depict the space of “Monday”
Tuesday:
Tuesday’s representation was based more on the passage of time rather than any assignment of numbers, and I wanted to address the ideas of boundary (Garreth), closeness and interconnectedness (Erin) that came up during that day’s presentations. Site specificity and place (Lincoln, Margo) also naturally came into play. And knots (Charles)!
The initial chain was stitched for as long as it took me to walk around the outside of the barn. It was joined to make a circle. The series of chains that followed were crocheted while I was in conversation with different people that night, and the end of each chain was connected to a point, chosen intuitively, on a previous chain, creating something that could not be untangled. I ended the piece when, by chance, the next joining point I chose was where I had begun.
Wednesday:
The aspects of Wednesday’s presentations that I attempted to represent were improv (Liz), impulse (Kim), “YES” and lines of desire (Emily), as well as the idea of just doing it and not judging what was happening (from Charles’ proprioceptive writing workshop).
I tried to use very little by way of a system, except for using filet crochet to represent the binary translation of the word “Yes” (the 3 rows that are comprised of open spaces and filled in squares). Looking back on my notes, the number 24 seems to be significant, although I didn’t note, and I can’t remember, why! One of my directions says, “then go for it, whatever, say yes + slow down”.
Thursday:
Thursday’s piece touched on points of reflection (Cat), and cycles and consumables (Amy), and I tried to just approach, groove, and depart (Denise) without too much conceptualizing while I was making it.
After dinner there was a screening of “Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey” (Lincoln) , during which I crocheted and drank bourbon (Sean). The circumference of the crocheted piece is the same as the circumference of the glass I was drinking from; as I crocheted I would sip the bourbon and when the amount crocheted matched the amount of negative space in my glass (that is to say, the part of the glass not filled with bourbon), I stopped.
