DIVERSIKNITTY

aka the blue Willow Sweater

Diversiknitty uses the medium of knitting to address issues of cultural appropriation, exoticism, and emotional labour. The work follows a vintage knitting design from the 1980s featuring the iconic ‘willow pattern’, an 18th century British imitation of Chinese visual culture popularly used on ceramics/porcelain. Translated into a contemporary context as a wearable sweater and documented in various settings, Diversiknitty explores themes of Orientalism, objectification, and the re-appropriation of cultural history for consumption. The sweater is made from 100% French merino wool, imported to Australia, and took more than 100 hours to make by hand.

Diversiknitty was initially developed and presented as part of the Emerging Cultural Leaders showcase at Footscray Community Arts Centre, 2018. The photographs shared here were taken between 2018 - 2019 in Melbourne, Hong Kong and London.