Signe V. Boilesen
Denmark, 1995
Thesis: Knitting as a method of communication
It threads, it needles, it yarns, it repeats, while turning over, running in patterns of endless repetitive movements. The rhythms, tonalities, and color dyes are not just another technical skill that Signe Boilensen is interested in performing. After getting rid of an abstractly inflicted interest in rigid materials, such as wood and metal, she decided to reclaim what was considered too crafty, not intellectual enough, and surely not historically attributed to the genius artist: knitting as a sculptural practice. Although it took her years to disconnect with a rural and gendered understanding of labor and kin-making, Signe started a process of unlearning by confronting her own upbringing. This confrontation brings the elephant in the room: a monumental knitted piece, simultaneously dividing and allowing light, memories, beloved ones. The fabric is happy to be stretched, which leaves holes highlighting the fragility of binary terms such as craft and fine arts. Signe Boilensen uses knitting as a common language that connectscreates communities, especially with the ones that are lost.
Angeliki Tzortzakaki
