Get to know: the art of yarn bombing
It could pop up anywhere; a railing in front of Arnold Hall, a bike rack, or even a well-known European statue.
Crocheted to perfectly fit random objects, the guerrilla art of yarn bombing is becoming increasingly popular throughout the United States. With second-year fibers majors Nathalie and Jamie Lyn bringing this colorful pop-up art to Savannah, one thing is definite: Yarn bombing leaves nothing of permanence except for a smile on passersby’s faces.
Think of yarn bombing as a blanket for mundane, every day objects.
The two began their interest in the art long before meeting one another, with Jamie Lyn discovering it while researching crochet in high school and Nathalie researching bombing for a speech class presentation. It wasn’t until their Computer Art Applications professor, Christina Tarbell, introduced them to one another while working on their final class projects.
“We had both expressed interest in yarn bombing for our final project,” said Jamie Lyn, who hails from Poughkeepsie, N.Y.“We were in different classes, but she introduced us and that’s how all of this began.”
It was this connection that pushed the girls to finally try yarn bombing.
Yarn installations were initially about reclaiming and personalizing sterile or cold public places. Their first project together, covering a chair together in Montgomery Hall, a place known for it’s more dreary attributes, keeps this idea relevant to their own work.
Bringing a more positive aspect to the environment is the main goal the girls both share.
“It brightens your day,” stated Nathalie. “I think our main goal is to really make people smile with our work.
Last year the two completed their first big project, entirely covering two benches in Wright Square. Crocheting the pair, however, was not an easy task, with the women spending roughly 15 hours on each bench and around 35 hours total. Despite multiple straight days of rain, the yarn bomb remained for five days until a presumed city official cut them off.
“No one had anything negative to say. People were so excited and it gave people a reason to smile,” said Jamie. “We even had a group of girl scouts stop and ask us about the project.”
Though yarn bombing is considered a form of guerrilla art, its non-permanency adds legality to it that graffiti and other forms lack, helping both women spread warm and fuzziness all over the world. Nathalie, who is originally from Vienna, Austria but has been living in Louisville, Ky., recently traveled back to her home country to do some solo bombing. Together with her sister and grandparents, Nathalie successfully yarn bombed the Johann Strauss statue in Stadtpark, one of the most well-known sculptures in the area.
The two hope to get more SCAD students involved, and are planning to collaborate with Zunzi’s in the near future. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for small crochet works throughout Savannah.
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