Olek: crochet, street and fibre artist

I recently watched a documentary called Yarn which explored the traditions and non traditions of wool and yarn alike. I enjoyed the narration by Barbara Kingsolver who resighted a poem called Ode to Yarn, which weaved between the different artists and stories.

I was drawn in particular to one fibre artist called Olek (or more formally Agata Oleksiak). She works in crochet, a craft which I have yet to master competently but I can do it in its basic form. Her work comes in different forms and varying scales. She has covered building to trains with her fibre art. She also makes large panels with messages and embellishment on them. 

The thing i like most about her work is that she goes against the norms of crochet, it is considered an old craft form done by little old ladies and has no place in 'Art'. Olek expresses herself through her crochet, just like Tracey Emin used her blankets and tent to express her thoughts and life. 

In my own work I have started using yarn and embroidery and I hope to maybe sneak in a little sewing along the line. I'm a very hands on person who likes to touch and pick up things I make. I can't imagine making something that you couldn't look closely at and see all the components and work that went into something. 

I will be exploring my own yarn journey in coming months.