Sunday, May 26, 2013
Shining a light on the significance of craft and art
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| A transparent 'craftbombed' tree in Belfast, May 2013 |
The global and national rise of 'craftbombing' (see slide show page links) is highlighting the irrepressible need of a human being to be creative in a meaningful way as a service to the community. The fact that there are people who willfully destroy what other folks in their community created with endless love and care points even more to the need for true skillfulness and service (= real "work"!) to be given to those destructive hands, within the context of a community that is in response-able touch with each other.
This necessity of being and staying in response-able touch with each other is something that was very alive, as a matter of life and death, in any mining community. Penicuik and environs has a history of the mining loyalty, and it also has army barracks with a community of service men and women. Also in the army that loyalty and interdependence, and dedicated service is what makes people treasure being part of it and makes people wanting to serve with the best of their skilled strength and power.
Ever since mankind walked this earth 'craft' was part of its survival and pride, - and power. 'Craft' as a principle is applicable to every kind of work and 'making things'. Even the breaking down of things. As often the raw materials have to skillfully get broken down and newly assembled with both a sense of ownership and service.
Where wanton destruction happens in a community, especially when it happens on a regular basis, it a sure tell-tale sign that there is urgent need for hard hands on community building. HANDS ON!
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| an ode to anonymous |
In other languages the word for 'craft' is commonly used in connection with the word 'hand' and 'strength'. And it also implies 'artfulness' and 'texterity', as in fine and precise flexibility and having a bright intuitive mind.
Lets have a look at what we can learn from the word itself (words are very crafty!) 
Saturday, May 25, 2013
our wee Slide Show for the Nationwide Craftbomb week
Hope you enjoyed it?
Looking forward to your feedback!
We are also printing it out to add to our current Library display to celebrate the makers and the event
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Help! Our Nation has gone bombastic!
Shock! The yarn terror has not ceased yet!
Thanks God :-)
Nationwide craft bombs keep appearing - much evidence below!
here in this photoalbum from our fellow bombers 2013
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| Nationwide Craftbombs detected! |
Or better still watch VIDEO evidence!
http://www.littlehamptongazette.co.uk/news/top-stories/latest/pictures-yarn-bombing-at-knittlehampton-museum-1-5119402 :
Read about the new way to sanity in the National and Local News:
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| link to the full article |
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| Chic and comfortable - read the full article |
of how one A-level lassie here earned herself world wide fame
Not seen enough news yet? There is this photo album collecting some more of the news and social media footages found. Nationwide Craftbombs publicity
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| Nationwide Craftbombs publicity |
Well, this YarnBombing is here to stay. Catching the bug and dying to be part of the fun, are you now, dear readers?
There is lots more out there now to show you what craft bombers have done and are doing, like this bunch of knitters - they admit to knit their creations which bombed an underpass in Brixton with the intent that the public can take them away home to keep and to enjoy!Enjoy watching the videos - the above by the way is part of a play list by the way, taking you round the world to trace the new craze!
People commenting on the Penicuik Craftbomb
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| https://www.facebook.com/PCAAWestSt |
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Love it, my kids had a great time yesterday
looking at all the different things. Well done.
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Brightened up the place , good idea
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SWRI: Penicuik
is a rainbow of colour this morning! A massive well done to everyone involved
in the Craftbomb for Voluntary Arts Week - it looks great!
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Wish I was visiting Penicuik today this looks
fantastic, so colourful.
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Just wanted to say, the town looks fantastic! I had no idea this was happening and got a great surprise when I walked down the street just now! Penicuik is unfortunately a pretty depressing and soulless place these days with little going for it's town centre, but all your hard work has made it look cheerful and happy and somehow comforting, even if it's only for a short time! We need more things like this to improve the aesthetics as much as possible...
Well done and thanks v much,
Just wanted to say, the town looks fantastic! I had no idea this was happening and got a great surprise when I walked down the street just now! Penicuik is unfortunately a pretty depressing and soulless place these days with little going for it's town centre, but all your hard work has made it look cheerful and happy and somehow comforting, even if it's only for a short time! We need more things like this to improve the aesthetics as much as possible...
Well done and thanks v much,
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Well said, its really pretty and its nice to see
some colour and creativity out and about!
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Totally agree! Well done to all involved
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If you can make people smile then you've done a
grand job. Great work!
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Do tell!
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Hi PCAA. Fantastic work! Do you mind if we pop
these on our website and in our paper? Thanks ^TS
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It was lovely to see the crafts
displayed around Penicuik and very sad that what was probably a minority, had
to spoil it. The idea of linking next year's event with the schools is great as
it would publicise the whole event throughout the town and maybe encourage more
to become involved. Maybe in some way link to the Hunter and Lass week? Well
done to all the crafters!
· I think it was a really
nice idea and you should do it again next year, I'm sure lots more people would
like to get involved. Maybe you could link it with the schools? My 5-year old
loved walking round looking at all the colourful crafts, especially the ones
made by her little friend. She was so sad to see it destroyed and said there
were some 'really bad people who did that'
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Here's a comment from my friend who moved to France a few
years ago: 'That's really sad. If they are going to re-do it, I'd like to make
something and send it to them.'
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We had many people advising
us to take a lead from the good examples of community networks engagement in
Merseyside and Glasgow for instance, where local groups and schools came
together with amazing results. On the May 2013 entries of our Making Space Penicuik
Blogspot here we are now posting a number
of well linked up articles in the hope to link you up to inspiration and action
for our next Penicuik Craftbomb.
We have more comments for you to read and share on this document (please click to access)
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The trials and tribulations of craft bombing in Penicuilk
from the Penicuik Community Arts Association website
Craft Bomb
The PCAA, Making Space and lots of volunteers spent many, many hours making some fabulous things from fabric and yarn to decorate our town. A team went out on the 10th of May and put up bunting, butterflys and a whole array of colourful crafts around the town centre and farther afield. See the results at the links below.
Unfortunately some less community minded person(s) decided to
vandalise all their great work and about 80% was torn down or removed.
We are all very saddened by this but luckily many people saw it
beforehand and let us know how much they liked it, bringing a bit of
colour and joy to our neglected town centre.
Read the full public statement here
And keep revisiting and exploring this blog for more updates, and we are appreciating your comments.
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| Mary's work with the children |
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| many hands work... sadly now largely vanished 5 year old Robin (not real name) wants the bad people go to prison :-( |
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Caroline's article on the Craft Bombing event in Penicuik
PR Release by Caroline Fraser
14th May 2013
Craft bombing in Penicuik brightens up the town and receives encouraging feedback
As part of Voluntary Arts Week (11-19th May 2013) the Penicuik Community Arts Association and their group Making Space have co-ordinated the craft bombing work which has been displayed in Penicuik since Friday (10th May).
Voluntary Arts Week provides an opportunity for amateur arts and crafts groups across the UK and the Republic of Ireland to celebrate their activity and encourage others to join in. Craft bombing is decorating designated areas of a town or village with crafts that have been knitted, crocheting, stitched, quilted or embroidered and are intended to brighten up the area and make it look attractive.
This has been a culmination of the extremely hard work from all the crafters and volunteers who have made items over the past few weeks including children and those with a wide skills range. Others have donated materials. Since March this year, there has been a craftbombing group meeting at West Street Arts Centre and making all sorts of creations such as pom poms, banners and bunting using wool, scraps of material, old table cloths, buttons and fabrics.
The beautiful creations have been hung on trees, lamp posts, railings, a wall and the odd house and the feedback has been very encouraging. One lady commented that she didn't know that the craftbombing had taken place and how it was a lovely surprise and how it brings a smile to the faces of those who see it. Another commented that her children enjoyed looking at all the items on display as well as many 'thanks' and 'well dones'. Sadly there has been a small minority of people who have not been so taken with the offerings.
The reasoning behind taking place in the Voluntary Arts Week is twofold. Some people like to get together in a group to craft for a shared purpose, and others like to work alone, explore ideas and share in the fun of still being part of something greater, locally, and nationally.
Overall, the intended wish is to make their local town a brighter place.
For more information on the Voluntary Arts Week please see http://www.voluntaryarts.org/
Friday, May 10, 2013
the eve of the craft bombing week
The day of the 'bombing' had arrived and it started with a bombshell@
the lovingly created
the greatly admired well dressing
over Penicuik's well
to brightly honour Cowan's care for the town...
But we can truly understand that some craft decor might not be to everyone's taste - and that a treasured monument deserves TLC. Well - we'll let you judge whether the gentle beauty and care (result of many hours of work) you see above, and some watersoluable crayon drawings (by a very enthusiastic crafter, oh dear, these volunteers!) and the applause and brightening faces of dozens of bypassers during the few hours when the waters flowed again are not the TLC this well and monument deserves?
What was left to decorate was then the trees and railings and lampposts (and there are loads of them!), as well as a couple of participating houses.
Feel free to check out more pictures here - Only a tiny fraction of what has been done....
It was an AMAZING amount of work that has happened: all the crafting (and thanks to our generous fabric and fibre donors, beautiful crafting) and then all the mounting. And all the work still to come of monitoring the craft bombs conditions and taking things down next Sunday...
We hope you will come to the town centre and have joy at seeing the colour. And please also help us by reporting to us at PCAA (West Street) if anything is not right
We would have loved to cover all the sad looking sights in our town - like this wall:
But in the end decided not even to use the barbed railing above for the rainbow banner, but to stick to the trees..
We were asked to say a few things why we took part in this national craft bombing week.
Well - different people do it for different reasons: some like to get together in a group to craft for a shared purpose, and others like to beaver away alone, explore ideas and share in the fun of still being part of something greater, locally, and nationally.
What all share is the wish to make their local town a brighter place. A firm and evident conviction that creating something beautiful is bliss, and an acceptance that different people have different notions of what is beautiful and that it is nice to be different.
.................... more from us to follow soon
find out more about what happens Nationally here this week:
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