Abstract
Review of Review of Units of Possibility: The Reknit Revolution, Amy Twigger Holroyd, Rugby Art Gallery & Museum, 24 June–2 September 2017, Rugby, UK
The Units of Possibility: The Reknit Revolution in Rugby Art Gallery and Museum is the first major solo exhibition of the British knitwear designer-maker, and founder of the Keep & Share brand, Amy Twigger Holroyd. Stemming from her 2013 Ph.D. thesis entitled ‘Folk fashion: Amateur re-knitting as a strategy for sustainability’, the exhibition reflects on the creative opportunities of the process of reknitting. This includes transforming old or damaged knitwear garments into new pieces using customization techniques which Twigger Holroyd refers to as treatments, be it a minor alteration such as fixing a hole, or a major modification such as inserting a sleeve, adding frills or darts. The wide number of treatments makes the design and production possibilities endless in Twigger Holroyd’s sustainable fashion strategy. Every stitch offers an exciting opportunity to create multiple and new interpretations – as conveyed explicitly by the title of the exhibition – Units of Possibility.The primary aim of the exhibition is to share and promote various reknitting techniques to support individuals undertaking knitting projects. Within these settings, craft is embraced as an engaging, participatory skill-based inquiry for individual knitters to share and exchange stories of existing wardrobe pieces and to facilitate hacking, articulate co-creation, and foster sustainability (Fletcher 2016). By celebrating values and aspirations such as sharing creativity, local knowledge and community engagement, the exhibition is relevant not only to those interested in and already familiar with knitting techniques, but to wider audiences who are in opposition to mass-produced fashion based on the consumerist model. The exhibition is dedicated to the support of slower, more sustainable and emotionally meaningful ways of making and remaking clothing, utilizing co-constructed, authentic craft knowledge and practices.
The Units of Possibility: The Reknit Revolution in Rugby Art Gallery and Museum is the first major solo exhibition of the British knitwear designer-maker, and founder of the Keep & Share brand, Amy Twigger Holroyd. Stemming from her 2013 Ph.D. thesis entitled ‘Folk fashion: Amateur re-knitting as a strategy for sustainability’, the exhibition reflects on the creative opportunities of the process of reknitting. This includes transforming old or damaged knitwear garments into new pieces using customization techniques which Twigger Holroyd refers to as treatments, be it a minor alteration such as fixing a hole, or a major modification such as inserting a sleeve, adding frills or darts. The wide number of treatments makes the design and production possibilities endless in Twigger Holroyd’s sustainable fashion strategy. Every stitch offers an exciting opportunity to create multiple and new interpretations – as conveyed explicitly by the title of the exhibition – Units of Possibility.The primary aim of the exhibition is to share and promote various reknitting techniques to support individuals undertaking knitting projects. Within these settings, craft is embraced as an engaging, participatory skill-based inquiry for individual knitters to share and exchange stories of existing wardrobe pieces and to facilitate hacking, articulate co-creation, and foster sustainability (Fletcher 2016). By celebrating values and aspirations such as sharing creativity, local knowledge and community engagement, the exhibition is relevant not only to those interested in and already familiar with knitting techniques, but to wider audiences who are in opposition to mass-produced fashion based on the consumerist model. The exhibition is dedicated to the support of slower, more sustainable and emotionally meaningful ways of making and remaking clothing, utilizing co-constructed, authentic craft knowledge and practices.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 149-166 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Craft Research |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2018 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Arts and Humanities(all)