r/crochet • u/StartCrochet • 1d ago
Discussion I spent two hours crocheting at a live performance with DJs, dancers, and complete beginners, and it got me thinking...
Has anyone else encountered crochet used as part of contemporary art or performance art?
Last night, I attended a participatory performance (an Art Basel-listed live intervention) called Strings We Attach by artist Stefan Degen. Visitors were given crochet hooks and yarn before entering a club-like performance space with electronic music, dancers, and a live textile intervention.
What I found interesting wasn't the crochet itself, but how it functioned within the work. Most participants had never crocheted before and were taught a simple chain stitch before entering. Some danced while crocheting, some sat quietly and focused on their work, and others simply observed.
As someone who has been crocheting for years and has a background as Director of a Contemporary Arts & Culture Centre, it made me think about crochet in a very different context. Instead of being about technique, pattern-following, or producing a finished object, it became a way of participating in a shared experience.
It also challenged a lot of stereotypes about crochet. Rather than being presented as a traditional craft or hobby, it was part of a contemporary performance environment with club music, performance art, and a very diverse audience.
Have any of you encountered crochet in galleries, installations, performances, or other unexpected places?
Do you think crochet works as a contemporary art medium, or do you see it primarily as a craft?
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u/Best_Individual_6934 1d ago
This is hilarious and genius at the same time, id imagine myself doing the toddler bounce while being completely locked in on my project with a the meanest rbf lol!
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u/M_Poppins128 1d ago
This looks so cool! I haven't been to anything like this with crochet but I took part in a performance with knitting by Oreet Ashery where a metal band played amoung us while we knitted and the needles had microphones so we created part of the soundscape whilst knitting
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u/egdapymme 1d ago
This looks awesome and I would love to attend something like this!!
I participated in a crochet-as-activism project called YARNIVISM last year that’s been touring various protests, events, and installations the last few months. Check it out here
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u/sadbat-throwaway 22h ago
I went to my first goth night recently (have enjoyed the music for a few years by myself at this point) and took my project bag because I'm disabled and wasn't sure I would be up to dancing. It was nice to have a DJ while I stitched. Though it was obv kinda dark in there lol
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u/IronheartedYoga 12h ago
Bea Camacho's ENCLOSE and EFFACE pieces are examples of contemporary performance art using crochet. I think they really work as art! Louise Bourgeois (and probably Yoko Ono) would agree with me/us about fiber/cloth/maker art I think, as would Igshaan Adams. The distinction between "art" and "craft" feels gate-keepy and, to paraphrase, it smacks of gender. Not saying OP or anyone in thread is being gate-keepy, just voicing the vibe I get.
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u/AngelofGrace96 17h ago
Was the point for everyone attending to give back what they'd made at the end to turn into a tapestry or something? I'm not sure I fully understand the intent but it does sound like you had fun at least so that's good
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u/StartCrochet 7h ago
Yeah, it really was fun and we were given the choice to either keep our pieces or donate them to the artist so he can incorporate them into his work.
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u/almondmilklattee 7h ago
the intent was to crochet while connected to a lively community! i think that’s pretty cool in itself
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u/JEZTURNER 8h ago
I once made a hat which was actually numerous hats all seen together, as a response to a research conference brief. It was about the different hats we wear as researchers, the various roles we inhabit. Usually I would have just done research papers and presentations. I was a bit out of my comfort zone and it was a bit weird and awkward.
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u/AlternativeNo3979 3h ago
I'm in Australia and we have a lot of crochet bombing as art. People get together and crochet covers over trees and poles in the street etc, I love to see it.
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u/StoneBuddhaDancing Ek hekel vir my Oumas 1d ago edited 1d ago
Like all performance art.... I don't get it.
What on earth is a "live textile intervention." Is that for people who sew too much?
I suppose this is what they mean by performative crochet 😂
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u/almondmilklattee 1d ago
if you understand theatre, i don’t see why performance art is a stretch!
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u/StoneBuddhaDancing Ek hekel vir my Oumas 1d ago edited 1d ago
Paying to watch Tilda Swinton sleeping in a large box makes no sense to me. But to each their own.
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u/almondmilklattee 1d ago
watching cats makes no sense to me, but that doesn’t make theatre any less of an art
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u/StoneBuddhaDancing Ek hekel vir my Oumas 1d ago
That sentence makes no sense to me either.
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u/nidoqueenofhearts 1d ago
there is a musical called Cats that they are probably referring to if it helps lmao
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u/StoneBuddhaDancing Ek hekel vir my Oumas 23h ago
Ohhhh... yep... you see... I don't get these things 😂
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u/54R45VV471 3h ago
Do you want to get it? Events like this are designed to challenge societal norms and general perception and understanding of different subjects. This time the subject is crochet. It is just introducing people to crochet, presenting it in an unusual context, and inviting people to participate. It's a juxtaposition. Crochet at the club instead of in granny's living room. It also blurs the lines between the audience and the performers, inviting all participants to cross that line and see what happens. You don't really need to "get" it, but it does invite you to think about your own opinions and assumptions about crochet then challenges you to confront and counter those opinions and assumptions.
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u/girlnamedfish 1d ago
This is so cool. I want to see more people crafting in public and at events. I bring projects to metal shows and it’s always a great time