Oh, so this WAS a while ago now, yikes… unearthing a disc of old photos, my statement and writing for my final year of my BFA. I feel like re-writing it… good motivation to explore more crochet I suppose too!
A Galaxy of Polymorphous Organisms, BFA 2005.
Playfulness, humour and nonsense are key aspects of this installation. The quirky art and illustrations of Dr Seuss has been the impetus behind the production these objects, which I see as absurd and dysfunctional. The objects and their arrangement in the space is intended to create a sense of wonder for the viewer, to experience the fun and playfulness involved in making the objects and installing them.
As a process of iteration and repetition, crochet begins with a slip knot and involves creating a series of loops using a hooked needle, altering the topology of the original material from a simple length into a complex three dimensional form. Fascination with the ability to control and manipulate these materials has driven my practice, resulting in ‘mutations’ of traditional crochet stitches. Although techniques like crochet were almost abandoned due to the introduction of modern manufacturing, crochet has retained its thrifty nature and developed into a sophisticated craft.
My obsession with the various objects in this installation illustrates Freud’s theory of humans being “polymorphously perverse” . In the early stages of an individual’s development, Freud believed that a person would find pleasure in any number and variety of objects. Freud asserted that this changed over time, as obsessions developed and formed fixations on specific objects as a child grew. Each object is a free flowing exploration of ideas, a response to my obsession, as manifested in colour, form, structure and scale.
Angela Carter 2005
1 Seuss, Dr. (1971). The Lorax. New York: Random House.
2 Wikipedia. (2005). Sigmund Freud: Psychosexual Development. Available:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freud#Psychosexual_development
More and more images…
I sold a few of these little precious ones, but most of them are still with me. And YES it takes ages to make them. And ages to install them. They are all a little lost when you see them like this:
Angela Rowe 