Knitting
Cristina Talpa
what first set you on the path to where you are today in your craft?
I never thought I would do something related to textile, but by the end of 2019, I had a break from my job and started to explore new ways to create. Without a work environment, I was feeling quite lost. When the pandemic started we all met online and I discovered that one of my favourite artists Soyun Park created a small community to learn python for Touchdesigner. This is a very complex software used for audio visual projections, light installations, music, and so on. We would meet once a week and exchange ideas or ask questions, and share tutorials.
At the time, I was knitting a lot by hand, but because this tool was so interesting, I wondered if it was possible to combine the two. I was curious about how I can transform music into images and then create the textile, all from my home. Also, knitting by hand can sometimes take a lot of time and because I was quite excited about this project, I started researching domestic knitting machines and ways to connect them to computers and software. When I started this whole thing, I did not expect it would change so much in my work. I thought it would be a short project and when I’m done, I’ll get back to my previous activities. But somehow I became more and more fascinated with the knitting machine to the point where now this is the only area I would like to work in.
Tell us a bit about where did you grow up and if you learned any skills related to knitting from the members of your family.
I was born in the Republic of Moldova. My mom used to knit a lot during the ´90, because of the economic crisis that happened in the region. Money was short, and she used to knit sweaters, socks, and hats and sell them to relatives, and people in our community, to make some extra money. Both of my grandmas used to weave and knit or crochet and had huge amounts of fabric and carpets on their looms. During that time, all the grandmothers would make warm socks and sweaters for the winter for their grandchildren. I think I started knitting when I was about 7 with the help of my mother.
Can you share a bit about your process and tell us more about the intersection of manual work and the electronic knitting machine?
I first draw a sketch by hand then scan it, and draw it again in Illustrator. For every pixel I draw, a stitch will, later on, be generated by the machine. The drawings have to be prepared before I can start knitting. I think there is no delimitation between the manual work and the machine since both are connected and respond to each other. When I have my images/patterns ready, I create the parts of the garment with the machine. I finish the object by combining the panels in a process that is mostly manual, but for which I also use the machine. When I don’t work with my computer, I like to experiment with patterns and blend yarns. It's so interesting to discover how the same pattern can look different only by switching and blending the materials. And because of my background in graphic design, I’m always up to experimenting with shapes and typography.
You wrote on your website that one of the main focuses in practicing your craft is overcoming trauma through manual work. Can you share your thoughts on the connection between these two?
In the beginning, I was doing manual knitting in order to relax. When I started, I realised I can focus for hours and found it extremely gratifying. Before knitting, I used to work for digital products for quite a few years, and working only on the computer had a toll on my mental health. Finding something that would keep me in the moment was both important for health reasons and for exploring work from a lateral perspective. In the beginning, it was important for me to understand how crafts can have such amazing benefits for people.
Now, I think I am more interested in feminist topics, domestic work, unpaid labour, and woman’s work at home not being recognised, paid, or respected.
How do you personally think that we can revive traditional and sustainable techniques?
To be honest, I've lost all hope in regards to how we treat our planet. Even if I cannot notice it so much in Berlin, which is a very first-world place, whole under-privileged communities suffer because we don't care about nature. I think "sustainable" has been overused to the point where it can mean really anything. The moment big fashion brands use it, while their production is exploiting people and natural resources, the word is becoming redundant and losing its meaning. With the risk of sounding like a cynic, I'll just quote Mark Fisher: “It's easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.”
However, what I notice myself is that in certain circles people are still invested in creating objects, and goods in the traditional ways. I like to spend time discovering them and appreciating their work, and the time and effort they make to offer new perspectives.
Where do you want your most significant contribution to be?
I think I’m fascinated by mixing different mediums and techniques. I’m not sure if I want this to be very significant. It’s something that interests me and I want to develop it more. I want to use knitting as a starting point to explore textile design, video, and live installations, live knitting, weaving, and electronic weaving. In a setting where the old is connected and related to the new technologies. At the same time, I want my work to be rooted in theory and have some more research on feminist topics. I’m sure other topics will come up as I work more and more.
What current projects excite you right now?
I have recently recorded the sounds that the knitting machine produces as it knits. It's exciting to explore how the sounds can be used to create visuals and then knit them again in a self-reflective investigation of my work process. Basically doing the project that sparked my interest in knitting in the first place. I'm curious to work more with words and patterns for the winter pullovers with the techniques available to me now. To be honest, I've had loads of unfinished pullovers and knit swatches that are stored in boxes in my studio. Not a very exciting task, but I want to recycle them into objects that could potentially be used by others. Maybe I'll get some new ideas from the "unfinished, unpolished, unedited" part of my work, exploring the rest of the threads after a pullover is finished and finding new ways to reuse them. And play, always play with photos, videos, patterns, sensors, textiles, threads, and yarns.
You can find more about Cristina here. All pictures belong to Cristina.
