Wednesday, September 12

Deptford's fibrey goodness



We have fibre arts! In Deptford!

Very cool, don't you think?

For those of you who don't know anything about my manor, this is Deptford, an area of somewhat faded glory on the south east banks of the Thames. In the 1700s it was home to the royal dockyard, and made its fortune from ship building and the slave trade. These days it is home to a vibrant mix of old-school working class, first, second and third generation immigrants of West Indian, African and Asian origin, and a healthy dose of students and artists who contribute to the cutting-edge arty feel of the area.

This work is by Katie Gilman and is part of this weekend's Deptford X festival:

"The anchor in Deptford stands as a much loved landmark and community meeting point and links Deptford's naval heritage with the busy street market of the present-day. Local artist Katie Gilman will transform the hard metal statue by meticulously wrapping it in soft fluffy wool, encouraging us all to see the world around us in a new light."

6 comments:

rahime said...

Some days I wish I could wrap my entire environment in soft, fluffy, hot pink wool... wouldn't that be nice?

Rowan said...

surely to have had "somewhat faded glory" it has to have been glorious in the first place...

;-)

DDKK said...

Yes, and if you have ever walked down Albury Street, through the churchyards of St Pauls or St Nicholas', or visited the Master Shipwright's house on the waterfront you will know what I mean. Much of Deptford was destroyed by bombs in WWII and much of what was left was ruined by (lack of) planning control. Even so, not all of what is left is post-war housing. You just have to know where to look, and be willing to do so.

Rowan said...

I'll admit that I've only ever gone through Deptford on our way out of London, but I've always thought that stretch through New Cross etc is particularly grim. But as you say, off the beaten track etc.

That said, I was always being told that there were nice places in Peckham, but after six years in the area I can categorically state that its a shit hole :-)

God, I'm glad I live in N Yorkshire now....

smug sheep said...

My first reaction was I hope someone gets to knit the wool once the display is over! I am definitely stash obsessed...

Melinda said...

Very cool idea.