This post is long overdue – how did it get to be July already? The past few weeks have been spent tagging Vancouver (photographs coming soon, I promise), writing parts of the book, transcribing interviews, making our final pattern selections (still pending publisher’s approval – we will have those emails out shortly) and taking a few vacation days out to enjoy the summer. It is (finally) sunny here in this rainy part of the world.
Two weeks ago, Mandy and I had the great pleasure to interview Jan and Evelien of Knitted Landscape. As Jan and Evelien live in the Netherlands, we had to transverse a nine hour time change. We were just starting our days they were just entering Friday night. They were kind enough to talk to us about their artistic backgrounds, knitting techniques and what inspires them.
I’ve been a huge fan of Knitted Landscape since I stumbled across their website a year ago. Their tags resemble organic forms. Wooly mushrooms, knit flowers and fuzzy rocks: some of these pieces look so natural that you have to look twice to ensure yourself that the work has actually been made by a person.
Jan described the act of tagging as having the ability to change your surroundings – to make the world look different to others and different to yourself. Take a look at their photographs, and I think that you’ll agree that their pieces achieve this
Knitted Landscape has also gone public – having several art shows in the Netherlands. Evelein told us that for one of their shows they knitted traffic signs to direct people to the gallery. You can see their recent work at this link: http://www.knittedlandscape.com/knittedlandscapenews.html. Check out the waterlilies in the pond. They are so beautiful.
Tagging, as Jan and Evelien describe it, is about creating something that is purely about delight. Often they embark on a tagging mission without knowing their destination – they just leave their pieces where it feels right, and where it will be a welcome surprise to pedestrians.
Jan and Evelein post photographs of their own tags and encourage others to contribute images. Visit the Knitted Landscape website and consider joining their project.
