Opening: YARN Knits Together Women Artist's Tales Around The World
Una Lorenzen's documentary Yarn opens in New York this weekend at IFC Center and continues to roll out across the States all Summer.
Meet the artists who are redefining the tradition of knit and crochet, bringing yarn out of the house and into the world. Reinventing our relationship with this colorful tradition, YARN weaves together wool graffiti artists, circus performers, and structural designers into a visually-striking look at the women who are making a creative stance while building one of modern art's hottest trends.
Lorenzen's film follows four international women artists who use the knitting art form to share their individual messages and ideals. Apart from their straight up awesome skills with hooks and yarn each artist has taken a art form once woefully considered something their mothers and grandmothers did to pass the time and have taken it to the World in breathtaking ways.
The film first introduces Tinna Thorudottir Thorvaldar from Iceland who uses her artwork to share political messages. Then we meet Olek, a Polish knitter who moved from Poland to New York to find her voice. We meet up with Tilde Björfors of Swedish circus company Cirkus Cikör in Denmark. Björforsis uses knitting on a massive scale in their latest production. To round out the quartet we meet Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam, the Japanese artist based out of Nova Scotia, Canada, who makes large structures which children can play in.
The stories are inter spliced with the narration 'Where it Begins' from Barbara Kingslover that gives the whole production this really earthy feel, like you can dig your hands into it and breath it in. Very compelling words from the American author.
Every artist has a statement and every artist has different ways by which to make it. Not only do these women make tremendous, wonderful and beautiful creations with hook and yarn but these creations all have messages attached to them. There are varying degrees by which they are open about their messages. Larenzen's film respectfully allows each artist to express themselves as they see fit.
Artists like Olek and Tinna create pieces with sociological and political messages and those are messages that are not delivered quietly. Horiuchi MacAdam's art form is meant to inspire children to explore and play so there is an openness from her as well. Björfors is largely silent throughout the film though and allows her art and the circus performers to speak for her.
Yarn is equally meditative and evocative, a mix of contemplative and exploitative imagery from these amazing artists from around the World. Those curious to see how an art form has been taken from the living room, once thought of as reserved only for presents from your grandmother, and brought out into the open to create conversations and envoke thought and feelings, will be rewarded with dazzling creations and artistry.
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