So, here's one of the crochet things I've been working on for the installation piece I mentioned in my journal. Once the entire thing is done I'll get a picture of the actual installation up, for not you'll have to put up with bits and pieces.

Now, a basic explanation of the installation as a whole. To begin with, the title of the piece is "Crafty". I'm using a single pattern from a crochet book as the base for a wide variety of my own variations. This is to address the, in my opinion, ridiculous idea of separating "craft" and "art", particularly the notion that craftspeople are somehow inferior to artists. The installation will be the entirety of my variations pinned to the wall with stick pins (commonly used in sewing and quilting) along with the book open to the instructions on a pedestal. Ideally viewers will start at the left, see the various variations on the pattern, think 'Oh, my how creative' then come to the end and see the book on the pedestal open to the pattern. That is also where the title plaque will be.

I've already had one of my fellow artists in the SOS program tell me that I shouldn't have the book with my work because, in his words, it 'cheapens' my work. That gave me no end of amusement.

My general idea for this particular branch of variations is the whole idea which Victorian culture (especially known for its love for crochet) had that native cultures were inferior - thus, bone beads, semi-precious stones, organic zig-zag patterns along with traditional doily patterning. Sort of a snub-of-the-nose to my Victorian ancestors, heh.

I would love extensive critique on this.

If you would like to see detail images of this piece, or the whole thing, please go here ([link]).

This piece is 18" long and 4" at it's widest point.

This work is strictly copyrighted.