Friday, February 3, 2012
When I interviewed you about “Drop Dead Gorgeous,” you explained how “through color, composition, and humor you can create the illusion that something is aesthetically pleasing when, in reality, it could be horrible or gross.” I definitely see that using knitting as a theme makes these potentially gross scenes funnier—what is it about knitting that lightens the whole scene up?
Daniela Edburg: I think in this newer work I’ve actually stopped using humor as a way of communicating. They have also ceased to have a clear story, I think the images are pretty dramatic, but there is a mystery to me as to what some of these characters are going through. There is an ambiguity to what it is that moves them. They are obstinate and endearing, I really feel connected to them.
The characters in your photographs are all alone with these knit objects and they sometimes seem like they’re in danger. Is there something insidious or post-apocalyptic about knitting?
I think this series is pretty introspective. The characters are alone, dealing with themselves in a very intense manner. For me the knitting can represent many things: the creation of a safe place, a form of protection. It also represents creativity in its most basic form and an obsession channeled or harnessed in an attempt to preserve mental health.
Are our obsessions, desires, hobbies killing us?
I would say they are saving us.
source: themorningnews
