Knitted Sculptures for Public Exhibition
Lead Research Organisation:
Royal College of Art
Department Name: Fashion
Abstract
This practice based research builds on a previous large scale project, Anyway, and a body of medium and small scale knitted works which have been produced on domestic knitting machinery in the studio. Anyway, a two-year project completed in 2002 saw the production of a large, knitted, sculptural form measuring 3 x 3 x 1.65 meters.
Anyway takes the form of a three-dimensional knitted grid. Constructed from interlinked four-sleeved, lime green, knitted sweaters it has 27 torsos and 108 arms. It was produced on a Stoll Knit-and-Wear Knitting System (a computerised, automated, industrial V-bed flat knitting machine which is capable of knitting a three dimensional seamless garment) at the William Lee Innovation Centre based at The University of Manchester (formerly UMIST). However Anyway incorporated a lot of handwork, the machine knitted components had to be assembled and joined together by hand. I now want to see if it is possible to produce three-dimensional, knitted, forms in one piece, with no necessity for handwork.
The objective is to get access to "seamless" knitting technology, machinery and expertise and to explore the capabilities of the technology to produce repeatable and changeable, knitted forms that I can use as multiples to create large-scale sculptures or installations that would then be shown through a series of public exhibitions in London, Bergen and New York.
The issue of scale is central. With knitted textiles the interest is usually in the small scale, in the detail. This detail is held in each individual stitch, be it the patterning, texture or shaping. The approach here will be to address the question of the bigger picture but without losing the fine detail. I aim to produce large scale, knitted sculptural works where size is not achieved at the expense of the fine crafted detail.
Through the research I would explore the relationship between craft and manufacture, in particular with computer-aided manufacture leading to mass-produced objects that look crafted. The research combines creativity with technology. The knowledge gleaned from the research process and outcomes is transferable to all artists working with artisanal skills in combination with new technologies.
The knitted forms that I produce would demonstrate the possibilities offered by "seamless" knitting technology. "Seamless" knitting is a relatively new technology. The first seamless entire knitting was introduced in 1995, at ITMA (the International Textile Exhibition) by the Japanese company Shima Seiki, who are still the market leader in this field along with the German company, Stoll. The research would push and develop the creative use of the new "seamless" technologies being developed for the production of knitted fabrics and garments. The potential applications and benefits would be to the areas of knitting, knitwear, textiles, craft, applied and fine arts, architecture, design and technology. The potential applications include knitted garment design and construction, furniture and furnishings and concepts for interiors and architecture.
Through the exhibiting of the works, and through national and international press coverage, I would widen awareness of knitting as a serious medium for self-expression. I will challenge the preconceptions that surround the medium by demonstrating the conceptual and structural possibilities that knitting offers beyond the expected outcomes of fashion and textiles.
Anyway takes the form of a three-dimensional knitted grid. Constructed from interlinked four-sleeved, lime green, knitted sweaters it has 27 torsos and 108 arms. It was produced on a Stoll Knit-and-Wear Knitting System (a computerised, automated, industrial V-bed flat knitting machine which is capable of knitting a three dimensional seamless garment) at the William Lee Innovation Centre based at The University of Manchester (formerly UMIST). However Anyway incorporated a lot of handwork, the machine knitted components had to be assembled and joined together by hand. I now want to see if it is possible to produce three-dimensional, knitted, forms in one piece, with no necessity for handwork.
The objective is to get access to "seamless" knitting technology, machinery and expertise and to explore the capabilities of the technology to produce repeatable and changeable, knitted forms that I can use as multiples to create large-scale sculptures or installations that would then be shown through a series of public exhibitions in London, Bergen and New York.
The issue of scale is central. With knitted textiles the interest is usually in the small scale, in the detail. This detail is held in each individual stitch, be it the patterning, texture or shaping. The approach here will be to address the question of the bigger picture but without losing the fine detail. I aim to produce large scale, knitted sculptural works where size is not achieved at the expense of the fine crafted detail.
Through the research I would explore the relationship between craft and manufacture, in particular with computer-aided manufacture leading to mass-produced objects that look crafted. The research combines creativity with technology. The knowledge gleaned from the research process and outcomes is transferable to all artists working with artisanal skills in combination with new technologies.
The knitted forms that I produce would demonstrate the possibilities offered by "seamless" knitting technology. "Seamless" knitting is a relatively new technology. The first seamless entire knitting was introduced in 1995, at ITMA (the International Textile Exhibition) by the Japanese company Shima Seiki, who are still the market leader in this field along with the German company, Stoll. The research would push and develop the creative use of the new "seamless" technologies being developed for the production of knitted fabrics and garments. The potential applications and benefits would be to the areas of knitting, knitwear, textiles, craft, applied and fine arts, architecture, design and technology. The potential applications include knitted garment design and construction, furniture and furnishings and concepts for interiors and architecture.
Through the exhibiting of the works, and through national and international press coverage, I would widen awareness of knitting as a serious medium for self-expression. I will challenge the preconceptions that surround the medium by demonstrating the conceptual and structural possibilities that knitting offers beyond the expected outcomes of fashion and textiles.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Freddie Robins (Principal Investigator) |