yarnbombing – Art , Cities , Bookstores and Playing

Luke Haynes – textile artist and quiltmaker  – yarnbombed this house / storefront on Capitol Hill in Seattle , Washington on Sat .  Sept 25 with a group of 17 yarnbombers . The yarnbombing was to prepare for the opening of bookstore .

3 Great Things About This

1 . This building is going to be the space for a new bookstore – ” Ada’s Technical Books ” .  The owner Danielle Hultonsaid contacted Luke Haynes and asked him to make an art installation to herald the immanent coming of the bookstore .  She told him to do what ever he wanted . He decided to do a communal yarnbomb .

2 . Luke Haynes solicited yarnbombers to help him on Facebook .  He also asked people passing by . That’s the part I like – I’m thinking of standing around on the street and asking people going by if they want to yarnbomb .

3 . The idea was that the yarnbombing would draw Seattle neighbors over to contemplate the house and the knitting and that would tune them into the feeling that something warm and wonderful was coming .  Luke Haynes also wanted this to be art made by the people of Seattle and not just by one singular artist .

Creative Secret ;  This yarnbomb was made by open invitation to anyone who wanted to knit or crochet or sew – anyone could work – but the complete idea was held in the mind of the artist Luke Haynes .  So many people love to make art and to work with a group . This can happen very successfully if one person steadily holds the idea and thoughtfully arranges all  the varying  elements .
Aesthetics :  The entire store was yarnbombed – inside and out with knitting , crocheting and – most unusually – quilts . The effect is compelling , charming and suffocating . It has a quality of being boarded up and protected , comforted after being abandoned . The words  ‘Hello World  ” are embroidered on the front of the house which is what a wordpress blog says when you first start one – this yarnbombing is the beginning of communication by the bookstore .

Some of the knitting and crocheting was made new for this installation and some of it was from Luke Haynes storehouse . He’s known with his art for covering the inside of a house with used clothes as part of ” Mad House ” art project .

This installation on Capitol Hill takes yarnbombing a little further along from just ‘ How fun ! ” to a comment on our desire to acquire more clothes , quilts , afghans , textiles , stuff – and our desire to give it all away .

More on Luke Haynes here

More On Ada’s Bookstore yarnbombing here

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