The underground knitting activists have struck again, and this time their target is one of the pair of imposing sculptures on Berkeley’s I-80 pedestrian overpass near University Avenue. The sculpture on the east side of the bridge now features a knitted cozy covering the book of the reader in the work of art.
The sculpture, called “Berkeley Big People,” is by Emeryville artist Scott Donahue and was erected in 2008. It immortalizes Berkeley’s greatest protests, from People’s Park to disability rights, and includes fist-waving demonstrators as well as tree sitters. It has not been universally embraced.
In May, Berkeleyside broke the story of a stealth knitting operation which resulted in the “Here and There” art work on the Oakland-Berkeley border being adorned with a cozy on the letter “T” of the word “There”. The City of Berkeley said it wanted the cozy removed as it was unlawful, but the knitted cover is still in place and appears to be remarkably hardy given the weather it has been subjected to.
Yarn bombing has become a worldwide movement that aims to “improve the urban landscape one stitch at at time”.
Photos: Tracey Taylor.
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I noticed lovely knitted additions to the parking signs along Solano near Pegasus Books. Yarnbombing is colorful, textured, and most importantly — removeable so as a form of “grafitti” preferrable to any number of anarchic movements from a public infrastructure point of view. Bless their crafty, rebel souls.
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I’ve seen this on Solano, and wondered what it was. I must say I prefer this type of “art” over tagging and graffiti.
Anyone have photos of the knitted signs on Solano? Please send them in to Berkeleyside if you do.
Somewhere behind some Berkeley dumpster, Bansky dervishes away with his crochet hook. I plan to wander the streets late at night looking for someone wearing a suspiciously-ornate woolen ski mask — then I’ll yank it off — and the world will at last know the truth.
I agree with Tracy’s description of the sculptures as “imposing” in various of its meanings.
The yarn can only improve them.
Glad those hideous things are being covered up with hand knitting ( which, IMHO, is infinitely more representative of Berkeley than the sculptures. )
LOL, how apropos
First I have to say I really like those sculptures. Second, I love the yarn bombing addition. I saw it on my way home last night and knew I had to see what Berkeleyside had on it.
hoping someone makes a knitted cozy for s-hertogenbosch (that’s the sculpture at the corner of addison and shattuck).
Those sculptures have to be the ugliest waste of money I’ve seen in a long time… The money would’ve been much better spent on a wall to keep all the I-80 noise out of aquatic park. Love the yarn bombers though!
[...] we reported on the addition of a tailor-made knitted cover to part of one of the sculptures located on the I-80 [...]