We couldn’t have predicted how our regional knitting project would bring so many people together.
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The story of Frank, a sheep farmer from western Victoria, is the inspiration behind our large-scale textile art project called WARM. He had seen the effects of climate change and had no choice but to sell the farm that had been in his family for five generations.
“The problem is we’ve become so dependent on fossil fuels to keep warm, we’ve forgotten how to warm ourselves with wool,” Frank said.
WARM is bringing together crafters from all over the country to reflect on climate change.
More than 200 Victorian knitters plus many other crafty sorts who live in Australia, and even as far away as Europe, are busy knitting gum leaves, trees, native flowers and miniature wind turbines.
Over the next few weeks we’ll assemble them all into a thriving, sustainable landscape that will be on display at the Art Gallery of Ballarat from September 3 to 25.
Along the way, our knitters have started “knitting circles”, joined workshops, made new friends and developed their knitting skills while also creating a space to talk about climate change with others. Emily, a young knitter from Melbourne’s west, has lived and worked in the Pacific islands and loves using her knitting skills to raise awareness that climate change is already wrecking vulnerable parts of the world. She sees the project as another way to help friends and family in the Pacific.
Knitting is a fun, creative and powerful way to connect people with such an important and challenging issue – and just like the solutions to climate change, the process of knitting a community art work requires both creativity and collaboration.
Lisa Kendal and Tracy Bourne are the organisers of WARM.