2015-12-17

Own our own time IV - One hour Borås


























Own Our own time IV was performed at the Textile Museum of Borås, Sweden, in October 2015.
The yarn used in all the performances included in the project Own Our own time have had a direct link to the different places. Boras is a city with a long textile history, where mills and dye houses were located along the river Viskan. For The performance in Borås a special yarn was produced to the event on the old spinning machines that are preserved at the Textile Museum http://textilmuseet.se/ . Viktoria Holmqvist from the museum dyed the yarn at the Swedish School of Textiles http://www.hb.se/Textilhogskolan/ with the help the dyeing unit AHIBA. Many beautiful colours were produced to document one hour Boras.
Photos: Victoria Holmqvist, Kerstin Lindström

2015-10-20

To see time with the help of knitting




Own Our own time IV was performed at the Textile Museum in Borås, Sweden www.textilmuseet.se
83 knitters saved one hour Boras in the form of a monumental knitting on 10 October, at 13.00 -14.00 . 
For Own Our own time IV the choreographer Helena Lundqvist created a unique dance piece. The music during the hour consisted of a mix of sounds from the river Viskan which flows past the museum and recorded sounds from machines related to the textile industry. The sounds were processed and adapted to a dance performance by the the composer Tomas Elfstadius and was performed by the dancer Ulrika Liljedahl. 
The arrangement was a collaboration between the Textile Museum and RegionteaterVäst Dans in Borås.
Photo: Jan Berg

2015-10-12

Performing rehearsal at Borås Textile Museum

























Choreographer Helena Lundqvist and dancer Ulrika Liljedahl practice for Saturday's dance performance.
Swedish television follows the preparation,filming for the program "Sverige". http://www.svtplay.se/video/4526661/sverige/sverige-sasong-12-avsnitt-10-1
23 minutes from start.



2015-09-15

Own our own time IV, Borås Textile Museum Sweden






















From the Faroe Islands 2011 to Shetland 2013 and the latest stop at the Swedish Institute in Paris 2014 
Own our own time IV is going to be performaned in Sweden for the first time.


This time Own our own time IV collaborate with choreographer Helena Lundqvist,dancer Ulrika Liljedahl, Regionteaternväst Dans and 83 knitters. The performance will take place in the main exhibition hall at Borås Textile Museum. Inside the circle formed by the large knitting Ulrika Liljedahl is going to performe. Time is portrayed again in a new context.

 "The river Viskan makes a loop and float past, carrying stories about time and the flow of water and colours. About humans and machines need to split and measure. With knitting, movement and dance creates and recreates memories of the textile industry's history. "


The yarn is spun at the Textile Museum's own machines and many colours have been dyed by the museum staff in collaboration with the Swedish School of Textiles.

Welcome October 10th at 13:00
More information at www.textilmuseet.se

2015-08-30

Want to participate in Own our own time IV?























If you are interested in participating in Own our own time IV October 10 at the Textile Museum in Borås, Sweden, sign up through the website www.textilmuseet.se . There is room for 83 knitters. Welcome!

2015-08-24

Preparations, Own our own time IV



















Preparing for Own our own time IV
This time in collaboration with the dancer and choreographer Helena Lundqvist. 
This performance is shown at the Textile Museum of Borås October 10 with support from 
Regionteater/ dans i Väst http://www.regionteatervast.se/rtvdans/

2015-08-05

Own our own time IV, Textile Museum Borås, Sweden




























Own our own time IV will be performed at the Textile Museum Borås, Sweden 
October 10, 2015 http://textilmuseet.se/
More info on the blog soon.

2015-07-28

Green for GO! In Whalsay, Shetland

























In the context of the various knittingperformances the participants also answer two questions. 
The answers from Paris and Own our own time III 2014, you can read here:

Through Amanda Pottinger in Whalsay the same questions were asked to the young participants 
in Whalsay, Shetland. Here are their interesting answers:

When do you Own your Own Time?
When reading or knitting....Knit, watch TV, surf the net, practice piano, listen to music...
When I’m swimming or knitting...Play on the X-box...Knitting, playing netball or hockey...
At night when I sit down with my knitting, the repetition and relaxation cannot be replicated!...
Sport, reading and playing outside...When I’m planning my next piece of knitting....
When I walk, swim, knit or garden...When sitting with a good book or knitting...
When spending time with family on outdoor trips around Shetlands coastline...
When I have the sitting room to myself, the TV to myself and my knitting.

What does the colour green mean to you?

Grass, lovely clean and fresh...Grass, trees, hills, leaves of flowers...
Whalsay, spring, summer, flowers, lambs and sheep...Grass....Summer flowers...
Springtime, daffodils, hill walks and peerie lambs...GO!...The first sign of grass and plants in spring...
Grass, Spring, Summer...Nature, particularly trees, variety of shades.... Spring...Springtime..
Freshly mown grass means spring has come and we have summer to look forward to....
Green means life, new growth.

photos: Amanda Pottinger, Ivan Reid and Vinciane Verguethen 



2015-06-22

Da Bonnie Isle Circle by The Whalsay School and 'Tak Your Sock' knitting groups, Whalsay, Shetland.




























Some more amazing images from Da Bonnie Isle Circle. Photos by Ivan Reid. 

Amanda Pottinger who is one of the organizers in Shetlands is sharing this story from Whalsay: 

"The knitting took place before the Secondary school and we had our teas in the Heritage Centre what 
used to be the farmers house. The secondary school is part of a wonderful example of Georgian style 
architecture built for the Laird in the early 1800's. The granite used to build the complex was rowed 
across to Whalsay from mainland Shetland and had to be transported up to the school from the pier. 
They employed forced labour for construction and the buildingstill cost £30,000. All the ruined 
buildings you see in Ivans photo were part of the complex, either farmers house, a mill, the midden
court where they kept the anilmals etc. It is a fascinating area withso much history.  It is also ironic that 
so much pleasure is had at school or in the Heritage centre where the Laird once had complete rule!! 
The Bruce family were ruthless Lairds (landlords) and many families were exploited and struggled to 
make ends meet during thisperiod. Any who disobeyed the Laird got exiled out of Whalsay.  The
last Laird died in 1944 and the building stood empty until 1963 when the local council took and 
refurbished the building into our school."

2015-06-15

Da Bonnie Isle Circle by The Whalsay bairns, Shetland



























After a busy winter, handknitting their own individual pieces in Fair Isle and other
stiches in green and other coloured Shetland yarns; the young Whalsay bairns’
knitting group, ‘Tak Your Sock’, are joining a series of international performances
of knitting circles, by performing Da Bonnie Isle Circle on 12th June at Whalsay
Secondary School from 2.30pm. Their green circle represents Spring, their community, 
and their own knittingculture and will be performed on other occasions.

The yarns for Da Bonnie Isle Circle are sponsored by both of Shetland’s yarn
suppliers: Jamiesons of Shetland, yarn spinners in Sandness; and Jamieson &
Smith, Shetland Wool Brokers in Lerwick. The needles by Shetland Arts, 2014.

2015-05-20

Whalsay School Knitting Club Shetland
























August 1, 2013, 83 people saved a shared hour outside the Textile museum in Lerwick on the Shetland Islands. The performance Own our own time II was a part of the Textilefestival ”In the Loop 3.5”. The green yarn that got to represent Shetland was kindly donated to the project by Jamieson and Smith Yarn Factory.
The yarn left over after the knittingperformance was inherited by the Whalsay Bairnes who have created beautiful knittings in green. In early June, the Whaisley Bairnes will start their own green knitting circle and save time on the Island Whalsay in Shetland. Good luck Whalsay School Knitting Club with your event!