SITE
As previously blogged, Radical Cross Stitch got together with Public Assembly to produce an installation at the Sculpture Now?!? Exhibition with the aim of gathering together a community of people to stitch the term SITE for the Embroidered Digital Commons project facilitated by Ele Carpenter.
And we did!
And it was fun!
The opening night was a total riot with a whole pile of people leaping in to participate. Wine was drunk, cake was scoffed and plenty of stitching was completed.
I was so rapt at how many people got into it. There was an expected hesitancy to begin with. People aren’t used to art that you sit on, eat, drink and play with. And I’m happy to say there was at least one person who didn’t get it at all. A lovely old bloke took it upon himself to be our heckler with exclamations of “what? what is this? knitting?!?”, “where’s Germaine Greer?!?”. And as he got drunker through out the evening, the heckling got louder and more verbose.
I could have kissed him.
We didn’t really expect to get a lot done on opening night but surprisingly quite a lot was done. I was impressed with the number of people who wouldn’t move until their patch was completed. But we followed up the opening with two day time sessions in the gallery which were a lot more relaxed and focussed on the stitching and discussion (and kids!).
There’s plenty more photos of all the sessions here.
I really enjoyed the day time sessions especially in regards to the discussions that took place. A big part of the project was to facilitate dialogue but in a very loose way. We had assigned a discussion theme to each session but weren’t fussed if those themes were touched on. The main objective was to create a space for creative people to get together and just hang out and TALK. We live in such a time poor society that it’s a rare thing to just sit and relax, let alone intentionally go somewhere else and do it with other people. And the conversations did go to some very interesting places!
A massive thanks to the curators Anna and Kelly and to all the people who came and hung out and stitched. Too deadly.
We didn’t quite complete the embroidery over the space of the show but I’m working on finishing the half finished ones and we’re planning another get together some sunny day soon. In the mean time, friends are more than encouraged to drop in and pick up a needle!
I was also pretty interested in the gallery surrounds. Some nice street art around the place. But sadly this awful vacant fenced off bunch of buildings next door. Clearly council property. Thanks government..
So I said hi.
SITE: Digital Embroidered Commons at Sculpture Now!?!
Righto! Who’s up for a stitch-a-long?
Radical Cross Stitch is teaming up with Public Assembly to create a contribution to the Digital Embroidered Commons project that’s being facilitated by the amazing Ele Carpenter. We will be stitching the term SITE and we want you to help!
We’re creating an installation piece as part of the Sculpture Now!?! exhibition at the Yarra Sculpture Gallery and we are creating a craft room inside the gallery for the purposes of stitching the term together. And we’d love you to join us.
We will be in the gallery for three making sessions. Each session complete with cups of tea, baked goods and of course, radical discussion.
“SITE: Location, both as in the fact of being somewhere, and also, as in the answer to the question of “where”, that “somewhere” is. Hence, situation.”
Step into our craft room, make yourself a cuppa and pick up a needle. All welcome, no experience necessary. Join us as we embrace the radical political and artistic spirit of centuries of craft circles to unpick the big issues of the day.
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Public sessions:
Friday 27th August 5-8pm (open session – this is the official opening of the show so will be a tad busy..)
Thursday 2nd September 1-4 (limited spaces, RSVP kids welcome)
Sunday 5th September 1-4 (limited spaces, RSVP kids welcome)
The installation is viewable as a snapshot of a work in progress at all other times
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Sculpture Now!?! will deliver a snapshot of the current thematic and conceptual influences that inform contemporary sculptural practice in Australia. The artists range from emerging to established with an emphasis on innovation and experimentation. The exhibition aspires to shed some light on the myriad of diverse trajectories in which sculptural practice is heading.
Other artists participating: Stelarc, Hannah Bertram, Rod McRae, Karleena Mitchell, Petra Svoboda, Junky Projects, Eliza-Jane Gilchrist, Linelle Septo, Lucie Hallenstein