Turning sheets into rope...

One of the aspects of my work is to upscale and bring to life again crafts of our grandmothers. This rope is being made by finger-knitting, and I'm going to be turning 7 super-king sheets into 70m of stretchy rope. This will then create a spiral roof on the temple I am helping build for YOUtopia in San Diego. 

The bigger idea was to do a giant crochet/tatting pattern, but my dyslexia stops me from being able to do the counting that is necessary. Plus the roof is not going to be a flat circle, but an awkward shape that slopes. Tatting patterns demand uniformity, so I thought it safer just to create a rope and make up a pattern when we put it up. Making things at distance is tricky! I haven't touched the infrastructure I'm hanging this art off, and won't until it's time to install, so I'm making things loose so they can fit.

Now you may wonder why I would go to all the effort to make something like this. Why spend hours making something I could buy that was pretty and less effort? Well, the answer is I want to hand make it. I believe there is something special about the love and intention you can put into hand making something. And I believe standing under a web of hand made rope will be something special indeed.

Plus it's cheap! And sustainable! As I use 2nd hand sheets. This part of the art installation will cost a grand total of NZ$20.

When I get back to Sydney I would dearly love to make a proper giant tatting roof. But I know I can not do it on my own! So if you would like to join me, please let me know!