14 November, 2007

A pretty disturbing pendant



WHIPLASH - OCT/NOV - FIBRE & MIXED MEDIA INSPIRED JEWELLERY
I decided to enter Whiplash Oct/Nov. Here’s a quote from the Whiplash page to explain the theme: “This month’s whiplash them is fibre inspired jewellery. […] Fibre and mixed media jewellery is a wide theme and open for plenty of interpretation. Fibre can be felted, crocheted, knitted, spun or woven and mixed with other media too, mixed media - is pretty much anything all mixed together - usually mixed media might relate to paper and stone and fabric with found objects to create something a little 3D, collage and sculptural all in one piece.”




I thought a lot about what to do, and if there was any specific thought behind what I was going to make. Many months ago I saw felted beads on Whipup for the first time, and I have wanted to try and make some myself. I figured this was an opportunity to do so, and with the help of a tutorial on Knitty.com I got started. Since I’m also a little obsessed with these little train model figures, I wanted to find a way to mix felted beads with the miniature people.
I have also been thinking a lot more about environmental issues this autumn. There’s been much more focus on environmental issues in the media, and the issue seems to turn up more frequently in the world of craft blogs too. I think the future perspectives regarding our environment are scary, and it also makes me feel quite helpless.



So, the thought behind the pendant is: “What to do if this planet ends up not being habitable any more?”



There is an irony to this project that suddenly became obvious to me while making the pendant. The irony’s name is plastic and superglue. The pendant in itself is not environmental friendly. It tells me that I have a lot of habits to change before I can say that I’m environmentally friendly. I wonder if I will ever be able to change my way of living to a degree that it actually amounts to something.



whipup


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17 comments:

Carina said...

Wow. This is pretty awesome! :-)

Candy Schultz said...

You will change and we will all have to if there is any chance of survival. The planet will do just fine without us but we need it badly.

The pendant is brilliant.

Totally unrelated I am reading, for review, a book on Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia that has tons of information in it. You might be interested in it. Title is "Chronic Fatigue syndrome, Fibromyalgia and Other Invisible Illnesses, The Comprehensive Guide" by Katrina Berne, Ph.D. I will be reviewing it on my blog as soon as I finish. It was published in 2002 but there is quite a lot of information in there that is new to me.

Cheers.

Supernøtt said...

Du har masse små mennesker som bor i en blå boks og venter på sin skjebne i et av dine spennende prosjekter.

Når jeg så det første bildet, ble jeg herlig forskrekket, jeg trodde det var kroppshår de kom ut av :-D

Anhenget ble både artig, klokt og interessant. Du treffer på flere plan, som vanlig :-)

HPNY KNITS said...

very thought provoking. excellent!

You can call me Betty, or Bethany, or Beth ...Just don't call me late for dinner. said...

wow. that is amazing.. strange... And I liked what you had to say about the irony of the figures.( I love those little guys too.)

djbebe said...

Wow - cool and creepy!

Hobbygåsa said...

Stilig bidrag! Disse små mennene dine er skikkelig fine - i alle sammenhengene du bruker de. Så sant, så sant, vi er ikke flinke nok med miljøet. Lettvinthet og penger teller nok for mye, men det er farlig å ikke se alvoret i det. Ha en fin dag!

Pinneguri said...

Jeg trodde som Supernøtt at det var kjønnshår først, og som djbebe syns jeg den er kjempeskummel 8-0
Intelligent og tankevekkende, Hilde.

Johanne said...

As a little challenge to you and the rest of all those creative people wanting to be more environmental friendly, I suggest that you find yourself one skein of a strong cotton yarn, get your crochet hook out, and make your self a string bag for your groceries!

You can find photos and information about the pattern among my ravelry projects. And for those of you that aren't on ravelry, contact me or buy Erika Knight's "Simple Crochet" ("Hekling med stil" på norsk) to find the pattern!

It's not that big a project, neither when it comes to the craft or the environment, but every penny helps, and if you bring home one less plastic bag from the shop per day, its better than no change!

Johanne said...

and of course, I forgot to say: your pendant is excellent! I love when handcraft also has a meaning behind it, its not just the painted art that has the ability to make people stop and think, you know.. ;o)

breezily said...

Creepy and effective!

Mary, Mary... said...

I love my train model people, but you have a great selection. Once it gets cooler, I want to play with some of the ideas in lderik toving book you gave me--maybe a giant globe/bag with all sorts of people crawling all over it inspired by you. ;)

Anonymous said...

Trudde det samme som Supernøtt og PInneguri.. "ka' i hulaste..?", og så leste eg teksten og såg litt nærmare etter.. Hehe.. godt det ikkje var berre meg då.. ;)

Du er så kreativ, skjønner ikkje kor du tek det frå?

(Dei minimenneska dine er skikkelig kule forresten. Lurer på kva samtaleemner som kjem opp mens dei ligg trøkka sammen i den blå boksen og venter på å få komme ut..?)

Rebecca said...

I think it's a brilliant pendant, what a great concept.

Sure, we all have a lot of habits to change, but even little ones make a difference. Growing one's own vegetables. Bringing a bag (like suggested above) to the grocery store. Composting. Using non-petroleum based washing up liquid. Driving less. There are so many little ways that don't require major lifestyle changes that still help. And I think once people start the little ones, the bigger ones get easier.

(Oh, and I think that scarf for socks exchange sounds fun. ;))

Brahdelt said...

Congratulations on winning a special mention in Whiplash with your pendant, great job! *^v^*

merete said...

Gratulerer!
Virkelig fortjent.

futuregirl said...

Congratulations! It's a wonderful and thoughtful piece.