©brittarnhild

For et par måneder siden dukket de plutselig opp et innlegg på instagram som fanget interessen min, Knit for Wildlife: Stitching Marine Science into Everyday Life. Jeg klikket meg til hjemmesiden, leste, leste litt mer, leste enda litt mer og skjønte at dette ville jeg vite mer om, jeg måtte skrive en søknad, jeg måtte lage et prosjekt.

I søknaden, som jeg sendte bare et par dager senere, skriver jeg blant annet:

Ever since I heard about Lånan, the eiders and the eiderdown, around 30 years ago, I have been dreaming of visiting the island. I checked the possibility to come to the island and take part in the eiderdown harvesting but at that time I was not in the position neither to stay away from my family for the time it would take, nor did I have the money it would cost. The dream has followed me some deep down, and got new energy when I last year read  James Rebank´s The Place of Tides. Taking part in this project will hopefully give me the push I need to actually visit the island.

Og så beskriver jeg, veldig kort, ideen min, prosjektet mitt:

As soon as I read about this project, just a couple of days ago, my mind started to play. Several ideas are spinning, but the one I might land on is to make a children´s book. A tale about the eider birds illustrated with photos or watercolours and with information about the birds and their importance, popping up here and there. Then I would like to make patterns and knit two different blankets. A simple one which might be possible for a child to knit, one a bit more complicated, using stranded colorwork knitting, knitting with embroidery or a combination of both.

Det gikk noen uker, og en dag kom det epost:

…….Thank you so much for your application to Knit for Wildlife.

We were genuinely overwhelmed by the level of work, thought, and care that came through in the applications. It made the selection process both inspiring and incredibly difficult.

Because of this, we’ve decided to introduce an additional layer to the cohort; an Open Studio.

While we unfortunately weren’t able to offer you a residency spot this time, we would really love for you to be part of this wider circle. The Open Studio will run alongside the residency, creating space for more voices, ideas, and interpretations to exist within the same theme.

As part of Open Studio:

• You can create freely, in your own way and pace
• You will be invited to one shared session with the residency knitters
• Your work will be shared on the Knit for Wildlife platform
• Selected works may also be highlighted further in exhibitions, publications and campaigns

We are also planning a coffee table book for this cohort, and contributors from the Open Studio will have the opportunity to be featured with their work. We truly hope you’ll join us in this way. If this resonates, just reply “yes” and we’ll share the next steps with you next week.

Thank you again for the level of work you put into your application. It was truly noticed

Nå er hele prosjektet i gang. Det er fem såkalte “artists in residence” (alt skal foregå digitalt) og så er vi ni i “Open Studio”. Det har vært et digitalt møte som jeg dessverre ikke kunne delta på, det var midt under bursdagslunsjen min i Palmehaven, vi blir presentert på instagram og vi har ei gruppe på instagram hvor vi kan kommunisere.

Jeg er helt ferdig med bursdagsfeiring, tre dager til ende, vi har tømt mor og fars leilighet og våre overnattingsgjester har reist, så i ettermiddag kunne jeg endelig sette meg ned og starte den kreative prosessen. Om jeg i det hele tatt klarer å få til ei barnebok eller om dette blir noe helt annet gjenstår å se. Jeg har også oppfattet at jeg er i meget godt selskap, så hvordan lille meg skal klare å hevde seg i denne gruppa, vel…….å hevde seg er vel ikke så viktig, nå skal jeg kose meg med denne kreative utfordringen, og så blir det det det blir.

Ønsk meg lykke til da!