IF YOU find yourself in east London check out the yarn bomb by the Black Girl Knit Club on show at the Endeavour Square’s viewing platform railings and steps.
Exhibiting for the next couple of months, ‘Braided Traditions: Common Threads’, is a celebration of the techniques and creativity of Black women’s hair through arm knitting.
Created over six weeks, Black Girl Knit Club members attended weekly workshops, reflecting on their hair journeys led by founder of @BlackHairStories, Korantema Anyimadu. Exploring arm knitting techniques (no needles) to create pieces that will decorate Endeavour Square public viewing platform, steps, and railings.
The large-scale arm knits incorporate upcycled industrial scaffolding material, ribbon, netting, rope textures and other repurposed textiles some sourced locally from East London based textile reuse hubs such as the Childrens Scrap Project and Yodomo, a Hackney Wick based business that identifies waste materials that can be reused by the maker community.
A second set of BGKC yarn bomb tree designs was launched this week on January 16, 2024 at Endeavour Square, in collaboration with five individual knitwear designers.
Seven tree trunks will be yarn bombed by five BGKC knitwear designer members. Each designer has responded to the brief of “Braided Traditions: Common Threads.” Exploring various yarn textures and techniques to showcase their individual relationship with the subject of “hair” through knitting.
Yarn bombing tree designs were crafted by: “Breanna” by Peju Obasa, “Braids For My Girls” by Sheree Robinson, “Combing Through” by Mia Rodney, “Country Plant” by Fatima Duke-Pratt and “Gara ndiruke” (sit and let me braid) by Fadzi Sango.
Sicgmone Kludje, Co-Founder, Black Girl Knit Club, enthused: “With its origins in subversive street art and political resistance, our yarn bomb takes its inspirational cue from the ever-changing, and creatively rich world of Black women’s hair.
“Referencing the photography of ‘Okhai Ojeikere’ and inspired by the vivid colours and textures found in Black hair shops across East London.
“We wanted to reflect and showcase our members and their individual stories centred on their hair”.
Check out the BGKC here: www.blackgirlknitclub.com/bgkc-braided-traditions
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