Studio Time! by Lacey Jane Roberts

September 28th, 2009 at 08:22am LJR

Barbie knitting machines and a whole lot of cheap yarn have invaded the MAD studios!

Yep, my time at toiling on the 6th floor of the Museum of Arts and Design has yielded some good material results, some great visits with old and new friends, and I get the incredible views to enjoy while I crank-knit and sew.

A little background: I mostly make large-scale site specific knitted installations that sometimes involve guerilla actions.  I knit using toy knitting machines, including a Barbie knitting machine from 1974 (older than me!).  I am working on a REALLY LARGE scale piece for an upcoming solo show at Southern Exposure in San Francisco that will open in early January.  The installation I am making is part of  a body of work of knitted fences.  You can see some of the past fences at www.laceyjaneroberts.com.  Here is the preliminary sketch of the piece I am currently working on:

The sketch for the piece I am making!

This fence will be about 9 feet tall and 30-40 feet long.  I have been working on the piece since last fall.  When I am not working in the MAD studios I work in my studio in the Bronx which is at Leake and Watts, a non-profit in the Bronx. That’s where the bulk of the fence is, but I am making a mock-up/sample in the MAD Studios.  So far it looks like this:

My friends Tim and Brianna with the beginnings of the fence sample.

Right now I am weaving the cyclone fence section that will go on the mock up, it should be done next Thursday or the Thursday after.  It’s nice to have this sample to experiment with, but I am definitely looking forward to having the huge version of this completed.

I’ve had some really great conversations about fences, boundaries, art, and craft with visitors who have come to chat with me on the 6th floor.  Fences are loaded objects, and folks coming from all different kinds of backgrounds have their own associations with these ubiquitous structures.  Last Thursday a visitor named Amir gave me some incredible feedback on my work.  I’m feeling grateful and pretty lucky to have regular studio visits and such thoughtful critiques.

Entry Filed under: in the studio