Andy Goldsworthy is a British sculptor who makes site-specific installations using natural and found objects to create temporary (and sometimes permanent) sculptures.

Through the careful selection and arrangement of items readily found in nature, Goldsworthy creates installations in the natural environment that last from only a few moments to several years. The tools of his trade are his own two hands; his media are stones, sticks, leaves, sand, feathers, snow, ice, or whatever the natural environment offers him. Fixing his fragile compositions in place are thorns, water, ice, and gravity itself. His results are amazing. from University of Michegan Museum of Art

There is a flickr group dedicated to his work and to others work who have been inspired by him.

Andy Goldsworthy, Woven bamboo, windy…, Before the Mirror 1987

Andy Goldsworthy, Sheepfold MI87, Tilberthwaite Glen, Cumbria, Photographer: Dave Mulligan Picture by nvmdigital.com

was at Yorkshire Sculpture park 31 March 2007 - 6 January 2008 - Cow dung on window

bonbonkakku is a new site a bit like threadless - design a t-shirt site, that enables designers to design fabric - readers can then vote their faves and the faves then get made into fabric which can be purchased from their shop. Current in store fave for me is the cute green dog. [thanks kylie for the link]

Sloane Crosley - new book - I Was Told There’d Be Cake (published by Riverhead Trade (April 1, 2008) - is - according one reviewer - a collection of hilariously uncomfortable personal essays. Sloane has created three dioramas - made from plexi glass - to visually illustrate 3 of the essays from her book - the essays: “Sign Language for Infields,” “Smell This,” and “The Pony Problem.” These exquisite, intimate and detailed dioramas can been seen on her website or to find out more about the stories behind them go to her flickr page]

Sloane explains her process of making the dioramas

good dioramas involve a lot of planning. And a lot of plans that don’t work out. But the best part is by far the unexpected aspects, which often arise from problems that need to be solved. Not to mention the whole “life is in the details” thing. Which is kind of where funny essays come from. The details of life are blown up under a microscope until you realize that it’s the daily oddities of our existence that make it what it is. And these dioramas are meant to do that to the extreme.

The Institute For Figurings Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef. Coral and sea creatures made by women from all around the world.

The Institute For Figuring is crocheting a coral reef: a woolly celebration of the intersection of higher geometry and feminine handicraft, and a testimony to the disappearing wonders of the marine world.

Helle Jorgensen is contributing crochet coral reef sections as well as her rubbish vortex which she has crocheted entirely from plastic bags [see below a picture of it installed at her home - still in construction + picture of her crochet coral]

Also participating is In the Loop - a knitting and crocheting club based at the World Financial Center. In the Loop is working on an addition to the reef. The picture is of Barbara Hillery Van Elsen from Playing with string, Barbara represented the NYC Crochet Guild (www.nyccrochetguild.org), which did the bulk of the work on the NY Reef.

Inga Hamilton is contributing plastic jellyfish and coral reef forms [see images of her plastic rubbish confection like anemones and urchins]

Helen Bernasconi [from the crochet cactus garden - crocheted pseudosphere embellished with mathematically precisely spaced hyperbolic curlicues - via Margaret Wertheim's Flickr]

cactus flowers by Sarah Simons - these are made from mercerized cottons mixed together in various hues.

plastic crochet forms made by Evelyn Hardin. These forms are made from glow-in-the-dark craft lace, and light up with a delicate phosophorescent glow at night. - Part of the Toxic Reef - a hybrid conglomeration made from yarn and plastic garbage. The purpose of this reef is to draw attention to the growing problem of plastic trash that is pouring into the world’s oceans and devastating marine eco-systems.

exhibitions schedule:

New York University “Broadway Windows” (NYC, NY) In conjunction with the New York Institute of the Humanities and the Steinhardt School at NYU, a selection of the IFF’s most complex and delicate sub-reefs will be on exhibition in the Broadway Windows space. The exhibition will include the Bleached Reef, the Branched Anemone Garden, and the Ladies Silurian Reef.
When: April 5th - May 18th 2008 Location: Broadway Windows, at the corner of Broadway and 10th St.

World Financial Center, Winter Garden (Battery Park City, NYC) A second exhibition of IFF crochet corals will be staged at the World Financial Center, Winter Garden. On display here will be the IFF’s yarn-and-plastic-extravaganza, the Toxic Reef. The Winter Garden show will mark the debut appearance of the Rubbish Vortex crocheted entirely from used plastic shopping bags by IFF Australian contributor Helle Jorgensen, and The Other Crochet Reef by the mysterious Dr Axt. On display will also be a large cloud of plastic jellyfish forms by Irish contributor Inga Hamilton, Cambrian Explosion forms by Aviva Alter, hyperbolic octopii by Helen Bernasconi, and beaded hyperbolic marvels by Rebecca Peapples and Sue Von Ohlsen. The WFC show will also debut the New York Reef, currently under construction, and will see the New York premier of the Chicago Reef.
When: April 5th - May 18th 2008 Location: World Financial Center Winter Garden (beside staircase) 220 Vesey Street, New York, NY 10281

A DIY LED-lit cube / paper lantern:  a translucent and flexible thin-film electronic circuit hooks up a battery to an LED, limber enough to be folded into an origami box. [link evil mad scientist]

Anne Clarke, a knitter who creates one-of-a-kind wearable art—primarily coats, jackets, and hats—using wool yarns that are knitted, felted, pieced together with hand stitching, and embellished with needlepoint details, will speak about her work at the March meeting of the Textile Study Group of New York. (Thanks Marci)

image caption: (wall hanging) Peony etc Fulled wood, 36″ x 24″

Location: Community Church of New York Unitarian Universalist, 40 E. 35th St. betw. Park and Madison, New York City : Date: Wednesday, March 19, 7 pm : More: Ann will be teaching “Experimental Intensive in Machine Knitting,” Aug. 8–12, at Peters Valley.

After finishing her art degree and no longer having access to a large studio space she started to “shrink” her work and began incorporating handwork and stitching as a drawing technique. This allowed her work to fit into her life both in scale and in portability—she could cram it into a bag and do it everywhere. She then learn’t to knit and started making one-of-a-kind garments.

Anne tells stories with her work using image and color in the form of heavy wool garments. Her main themes are family history, nature, literary references and the news.

Ann is interested in teaching students to see fiber as the vehicle for their communication. Knitting utilizes the vocabularies of surface design and weaving. It is a language of pattern, a language of color, or hand, of surface.

Artstream in Rochester, NH. Stories and tales opens on March 7 and runs through March 31. Four Artists are included in the show: Abby Glassenberg, Darryl Berger, Alena Hennessy, and Tara Hogan. A 12 minute podcast with Abby is over at Art Esprit.

These images from Abby Glassenberg (while she naps blog) of free-standing soft sculpture birds and mixed media collages that incorporate soft sculpture birds are included in the show.

you have heard of sock monkeys and sock monsters, now the sock camera - brought to you by Neta of bobolina: dolls stories. LOVE this.

this if pretty funny/weird/kooky - fits right into our alt craft month: knitted brown tube, decreasing to a point at one end - felted and filled it with lavender and polyfill, coiled it into a turd shape and stitched it in place. by knitphomaniac

I am not sure what to make of the boobie pillow (pattern here) - what do you think? (this version by Lauri on Ravelry)

Pat Ashforth and Steve Plummer from Woolly thoughts are are designers of mathematical knitwear.

Checkmate is an Afghan Game. Use it as an afghan or put it on the floor and play the game.

Double Vision appears to have 55 different shades though it only uses 10 ordinary, easily available colours.

Fibo-optic uses the Fibonacci Sequence in two directions, in each of the three dimensions, to give the illusion of a large flying cube.

Give Me A Clew is a repesentation of a Roman labyrinth discovered in Wales (UK) - part of the maze afghans set.

Warning: private human body parts are depicted in yarn (be aware if clicking on links)

sorry guys but it IS alt craft month after all - this is stubby stanly by knit goddess and is a modified version of beanis from the anticraft

‘My World: The New Subjectivity in Design’ Featuring the work of Alison Willoughby, Danny Brown, Committee, Doshi Levien, Neutral, Peter Traag, Wok Media (this review is limited to Alison Willoughby – 10 Skirts) at Pratt Manhattan Gallery (finishes Feb 23)

photo courtesy of Zacheta National Gallery

Alison Willoughby did her BA in Glasgow in Printed and Knitted textiles from 1996-1999 and her MA in London at The Royal College of Art in Mixed Media Textiles from 1999-2001, where she completed her dissertation on the kilt. Study of the Gaelic garment eventually led her to the circle skirt, a simple garment made from just one perfect circle. Lain flat, Willoughby saw this as a canvas for applying materials: badges, pins, pieces cut from fabric, silkscreens. When a circle is cut out of the middle of the original large circle, the flat canvas suddenly becomes a 3 dimensional wearable object even without subsequent shaping – a skirt.

Her approach is perfectly illustrated by the piece “One”, a 3’ tall stack of fabric circles cut from old bedspreads, shirtings, batting, corduroy, twills – all skirts-to-be:

photo courtesy of Zacheta National Gallery

This piece reveals the underlying concept of the 10 skirts in the exhibition (a part of “My World: The New Subjectivity in Design” at the Pratt Manhattan Gallery), which are hung from the ceiling of the gallery, all the better to witness Willoughby’s penchant for layering more than one circle for a petticoat effect.

Embellishment is what really sets her skirts apart, and she frequently carries the circle theme through by creating concentric circles of colored pin badges, or by sewing on smaller circles of fabric, or by sewing on other shapes of fabric in circles.

49 Sensational Skirts: Creative Embellishment Ideas for One-of-a-kind Designs by Alison Willoughby, published by Interweave Press (April 1, 2008).

The show at the Pratt gallery is a nice opportunity to see her work in person, but Alison Willoughby doesn’t just want you to see her work – she wants you to make it yourself. Her new book, 49 Sensational Skirts compiles some of her ideas and techniques and makes them friendly to the home crafter – even to those with no sewing experience.

While first and foremost a book about embellishing skirts, the book does include a basic circle-skirt paper pattern, a glossary of sewing materials and simple machine techniques, and complete information on making or applying closures (ties, snaps, and clips). She also includes a tutorial on silkscreening, transfer foiling, and fusible webbing. The projects range from simple embellishment that can be done in a matter of hours to those involving hundreds of folded fabric pieces sewn closely together in geometric patterns.

Though she gives clear instructions on reproducing her designs, one thing that rings clear throughout is Willoughby’s desire that people make the skirts their own. She encourages the use of second hand ready-made skirts as a basic canvas and of being creative with embellishment. Though all of her ideas and the color photography illustrating them provide inspiration for wearable skirts with a strong sense of individuality, she wants you to use them as a point of departure for your own explorations.

Read more: Recent interview with Alison at Whip Up

To celebrate Alt Crafting month - win a copy of Alison’s book by leaving a comment here answering the following questions: (comments will close Sunday Midnight)

If you decorated/embellished an outfit such as in the vein of one of Alison Willoughby’s skirts would you want to wear it or hang it on the wall?

The American Craft Council to Present 25 Searchlight Artists at The American Craft Show in Baltimore February 19-24, 2008

14 emerging artists nominated by the nation’s leading universities, museums and galleries will make their debut at the show in a stunning new gallery space. The work of Searchlight Artists will be presented together in two separate gallery sections of the show: 10 will present at the Wholesale Show (open to the trade only, February 19-21, 2008) and 15 will present at the Retail Show (open to the public, February 22-24, 2008), both at the Baltimore Convention Center.

Our investment in bringing these striving artists from across the country and their work to market –some for the very first time – is a means to further promote the understanding and appreciation of contemporary American craft. We look forward to the contributions this particular group of artists will make in years to come.

Artists include: Tanya Aguiniga, Stephanie Dearmond, Hisano Takei, Megan Auman, Maggie Casey, Chase De Forest, Andy Paiko, Elizabeth Perkins, Lacey Jane Roberts, Munemitsu Taguchi.

Stephanie DeArmond: Ceramics

Megan Auman: Chair from living room - powder-coated steel 35″ x 23″ x 27″ 2006

Lacey Jane Roberts: cold world, knitting

from press release:

New Section at the Baltimore Show to Feature 15 Emerging Artists New York, NY (February 1, 2008) – The American Craft Council has opened the doors of its most prestigious show, The American Craft Show in Baltimore, to the New Wave Craft community – artists typically labeled ‘indie’ as they usually exhibit and sell their work at small local craft shows.
The Council invited 300 artists of the national New Wave Craft community to apply to a special section of the show: out of 100 applications, 15 have been juried in. Their handmade items are varied and include: lampshades made out of cocktail umbrellas; colorful adult and children’s clothing made out of vintage and reclaimed fabrics such as sheets, drapes, table linens, and lace; and jewelry incorporating Barbie parts; among others.

Amy of Soda will be there

caption: robot girl with handle, item # cl-106, celadon center and clear glazed porcelain cup with etched design [left]

ciahats [right]

Margaux Lange [smile ring]

[cylinder moka pot] circa ceramics

by lisa at steal this sweater I am pretty much in awe of how fabulous this sweater/skirt combo is. WOW! link

sukigirl at flickr has made this Tunisian crochet South Park afghan [via crochet me and craftzine]

Nina Braun knitter sneakers and Camilla Engman’s design at converse (congratulations!) [all via magpie and cake]

Out of the Ordinary: Spectacular Craft by by Laurie Britton-Newell (Author), Glenn Adamson (Contributor), Tanya Harrod (Contributor), published by Victoria and Albert Museum (November 1, 2007) to accompany the exhibition by the same name. - 13 November 2007 - 17 February 2008 A V&A and Crafts Council exhibition.

Out of the Ordinary - a group of international artists who place craft at the heart of their practice, transforming everyday subjects and materials. … a showcase of examples of meticulous making and attention to detail. Challenging conventional ideas about craft, these artists use tradition to achieve unexpected outcomes. … artists included Olu Amoda, Annie Cattrell, Susan Collis, Naomi Filmer, Lu Shengzhong, Yoshihiro Suda and Anne Wilson.

Catherine Bertola - works with ephemeral material - dust. Carefully collecting and preserving the matter that V&A conservators and cleaners strive daily to remove, she transforms dirt and dead bugs creating a site-specific installation that tells a story about the history of a space.

caption: The property of Two Gentlemen (installation view), 2006, Household dust, pva glue, two Georgian chairs, engraved brass plaques. Photo credit: Douglas Atfield

Susan Collis’s work might at first glance appear to be out of place in an exhibition, and you have to look closely to discover it. Mundane things, seemingly left behind from a previous exhibition, are actually meticulously worked by hand. An apparently paint-splashed dust sheet or ladder which are in fact intricately embroidered or inlaid with lavish materials such as diamonds, silk and mother of pearl. Labouring for many months on a single piece, Collis consciously celebrates both the humility and discipline of making something really well.

caption: Susan Collis, Waltzer Wooden broom, 2007, Opals, turquoise, garnets, seed pearls, mother of pearl, black diamonds, white diamonds, fresh water pearls, coral, black onyx, marcacite, Image courtesy of Seventeen, © Susan Collis, Courtesy of Seventeen.

Yoshihiro Suda creates hyper-realistic flowers and weeds from wood. He carves and paints each piece, using traditional Japanese tools, taking many days to complete a single petal or leaf. His work has been compared to a haiku poem The carved pieces of magnolia wood that become flowers in his hands are whittled down to paper-thin petals, stamens, sepals, leaves and stem with incredible realism, in the same way that language is stripped in haiku, to a very small and pure thing; something momentary. Also, there is a structured and skilled approach to describing nature which exists in both; and further, a fine haiku is able to be very small and exercise a great deal of power. (from circa)

caption: Yoshihiro Suda, Weeds paint on wood, installation view at Naoshima Contemporary Art Museum 2002 , Courtesy Gallery Koyangi.

These are just three of the artists whose work appears in the exhibition - the book which accompanies this show is extraordinary as well, images and text give further information about heach artist, there are interviews with the artists as well as images of their studios and work practices - absolutely fascinating. Only a few days left to see this show - if you are in London you must go! more info here

Kathryn Spence makes use of scrap fabrics from clothing and household linens, material from disassembled furry toys, as well as other scraps such as plastic bags trash to create these wonderful Owls and other birds.

[caption: Untitled (Short Eared Owl), 2006, stuffed animals, towel, coat, wire and thread, life-size from Objects and Drawings, May 3 - June 10, 2006 at Stephen Wirtz Gallery, San Franciso.]

[via dear ada + Ullabenulla]