Olek and Magda Sayeg

Olek and the majesty of YARN BOMBING

What are your associations with knitting?

Crocheted flowers passed around the class

What material do you use to knit? What kind of things are knitted?Does anyone in here knit? Do you know someone who knits? Who else knits?Where do you find knitted things?1


Lexie: OLD PEOPLEBria: ScarvesEnmanuel: MOAR OLD PEOPLE. And knitting lessons. Erin: Quilts, hats, clothingSeth: Passing the time. Chess: Lots of different types of knitting, theres patterns you can use.and so on. Its a therapeutic ..its repetitive, you dont need to think. Its just active enough that it distracts you. Rizzi: If you mess up, you can take it out, change it(its forgiving). I can knit while talking or watching tvAnna: Its like a muscle memory. ..




Wing: I know how to Crochet, which is with a single hooked needle.Sean: MAH GRANDMOTHER (rachel too)J-Street: I dont knitneither does my grandmotherI Sew!! So there! HA! GET IT???? John: My grandmother knits and makes purses and hatsRachel: Grandmas and rocking chairs. Angel: Knitters are ambidextrous and like WOW.Lina: With Knitting you can make a lot of things, sweaters, scarves, and bags. Tash: I DONE IT. Its so soothing and calming to do in your spare time. But youve gotta be precise with those LOOPS. Jess: The patriarchy makes knitting associated with women, specifically older women.



Knitted things

Kitten things!

What about this?!?

How is knitting used here what is different? Place (on the street), things that are knitted (people and a car), colors and patterns.5

New York City based artist Olek transforms objects, people and environments by covering them in yarn, using a technique called crochet.

Crochet vs. KnittingBoth are techniques that are used to produce a textile made from looped yarn. The stitches are different and the tools are different - needles are used for knitting and hooks are used for crocheting.

As you can see, Olek doesnt like people to call it knitting

Compare and Contrast

OlekWall Street BullCrocheted YarnNew York City2010

Arturo di ModicaCharging BullBronzeNew York City1989

In what ways did Olek transform the bull? How does her transformation affect your response to the bull? Why do you think Olek chose this item in particular to transform? 8



Arturo di ModicaCharging BullBronzeNew York City1989JJ: She really loves yarn. Her step stool is covered in itshes got those leg warmersKT: Shes so energetic when shes doing it! Running around, having fun.Khiri: I get it that she loves to crochetbut what inspired her? And does she have more pieces like this? So this cammo pattern shes using.I found it a bit ironic that shes using these colors that completely stand out. Like REVERSE Camouflage, drawing attention TO the thing. Jess: Its interesting that shes crocheting as she goes alongprepared with materials with her so she can do it on the spot.Alex: I see a bit of a similar pattern of yarn with the yarn. Like camouflage..


Olek crocheting under the cover of night!



Arturo di ModicaCharging BullBronzeNew York City1989Wing: Her outfit gives her a homeless vibe. Angel: She basically did this in public without any concern. People saw this and she seemed chirpy and joyful.Lina: She assembled this large piece from smaller ones. She seems very alert of her surroundings. Tash: As an artist she was very precise with her art. It all seemed to fit together, every piece was used. Camila: Why this bull? Maybe you can get in less trouble if the city doesnt OWN it??Andia: She seems to have a lot of patience with all those loops!Estephany: How long did she take to make this (probs a couple hours?


Yarn bombing takes that most matronly craft (knitting) and that most maternal of gestures (wrapping something cold in a warm blanket) and transfers it to the concrete and steel wilds of the urban streetscape. Malia Wollan, The New York Times

Magda SayegLadies Fancywork SocietyOlek could be included in a movement called Yarn Bombing street art that is created using yarn, often knitted or crocheted.

Many credit Houston-based artist Magda Sayeg with starting the yarn bombing trend in 2003 when she covered the door handle of her boutique with yarn. Since then she has created increasingly ambitious knitted artworks in public places. Magda Sayeg, Plan Ahead, 2011, commissioned by NYC transportation authority

Oleks thoughts about the yarn bombing movement I dont yarn bomb, I make art If someone calls my bull a yarn bomb, I get really upset Lots of people have aunts or grandmas who paint. Do you want to see that work in the galleries? No. The street is an extension of the galleries. Not everyones work deserves to be in public. Olek, quoted by The New York Times

What do you think?Do you agree that the street is an extension of the gallery? Why or why not? Raian: YES. The street IS an extension of the gallery.people got to museums to see artand the street is the same way. you can have the same reaction to art on the street.but its free. KT: The street IS an extension of the gallery.Shepard Fairey, Swoonthey all do work inside the museum AND on the street simultaneously. Khiri: The street is a medium for displaying artand a level playing field for all artistsbut a gallery?? The artists need to work their way up and have a reputation in order to get IN the gallery. Theres a clear distinction here. CHESS: The street is like DeviantArt.com Anyone can put whatever they wantas good or bad as it is.Gio: Galleries and museums are supported by INSTITUTIONS with standards and rules youve gotta follow. The street is more limitless. Anna: The streets werent designed to be galleries.Alex: The intention is important!! Keeping true to street artiststheyre reacting to the gallery world.

What do you think?Do you agree that the street is an extension of the gallery? Why or why not? Jess: Shes got some audacity to call herself an artist and who can and cant put their work up in the streetWHO ARE YOU??Kristen: Galleries are kind of exclusivebut street art is open to everyone. She cant really say whether something is street art or notits for EVERYONE. Angel: Street art came from a change in the mindset of what Art is/could be. Camila: Galleries are for artists to present their work specific audience..but street art is for the entire community. Wing: I agree because street art is different from museums, its free! Theres no admission charge. ANDits not quiet! You can scream as loud as you want!

What is a commission?Chess: When someone goes to an artist and goes HEY MAKE ME A THINGHERES SOME MONEY.GIO: Its usually particular to what the requester/financial backer wants to focus on. Like Shepard Faireys Burmese Monk piece on Bowery. Janel: The artist has some limitations on their aesthetic preferences. Youve gotta make the financial backer HAPPY so that you get paid.Anna: If a teacher tells you to do an assignment and you dont necessarily LIKE the subject, you may just want it to be over. Alex: I guess EVERY assignment is a commission but you dont get a say in the payment (grade).

In art, a commission is the hiring and payment for the creation of a piece, often on behalf of another. Artwork may be commissioned by private individuals, by the government or businesses.17

What is a commission?Tash: When someone pays you to do some art in a place. Wing: A commission could be on paper or a canvasit doesnt have to be on a wall. The customer asks the artist to make something for them. Cailan: Its a permission based thing. You dont have the break the law to do it. Angel: The financer or backer is giving the artist permission or authority to make that piece of art. Michelle: Maybe the artist gets a certain amount of freedom in what the piece should look likeRachel: but the financial backer could give a specific idea of what they want

In art, a commission is the hiring and payment for the creation of a piece, often on behalf of another. Artwork may be commissioned by private individuals, by the government or businesses.18

Festival of Ideas: New MuseumOlekPerformance created for Festival of Ideas for the New CityCrocheted yarn on humans and bedroom furniture The New Museum, New York City2011

In New York City I created the camouflage pattern. I transformed the human form into a new species. Once a person enters the crocheted skin, their race, color, ethnicity, even sexuality become irrelevant, camouflaged; they are transformed into citizens of Olek's world, where everyone is free.

OlekSt. Petersburg

OlekRussias PrideCrocheted YarnSt. Petersburg, Russia2013

St. Petersburg

OlekRussias PrideCrocheted YarnSt. Petersburg, Russia2013

The recent government decision regarding gay rights in Russia made me want to boycott the country. Then, at a dinner with my three best friends, who happen to be gay, we all agreed that Olek is not a pu***. I should take the opportunity that Galeria presented to make a statement in solidarity with Russia's people, and to prove that Russia's rainbow combines more than just three colors. Olek quoted in the Huffington Post

Magda SayegSite-specific installation in Austin, Texas

There is a transformation that occurs when I cover an inanimate object with soft hand made material. This interaction changes the object without taking away its identity or paralyzing its original function. It is this unplanned arrangement of the material that makes these objects come to life, become sculptural and even redefine or reinterpret a space.The exploration of environmental change drives me: provoking the world to be a more challenging, unconventional, and interesting place. Madga Sayeg

Magda Sayeg, Santiago Chile, 2014

There is a transformation that occurs when I cover an inanimate object with soft hand made material. This interaction changes the object without taking away its identity or paralyzing its original function. It is this unplanned arrangement of the material that makes these objects come to life, become sculptural and even redefine or reinterpret a space.The exploration of environmental change drives me: provoking the world to be a more challenging, unconventional, and interesting place.

Non-conformity. Originality. Wit. Unmistakable authenticity. These have been the hallmarks of the iconic lemon-lime 7up brand since 1929...

How would Ron English respond to this???29

Madga Sayeg, 7up Feels good to be you advertising campaign

Celebrating the everyday people around the world who share these same characteristics, 7up is unveiling a new integrated marketing and advertising campaign Feels Good to Be You that connect the brand with up and coming originals throughout the world.

Magda Sayeg a woman with knitting needles and a desire to yarn the world with her color and fresh outlook. Madga energizes a forgotten square in Santiago, Chile, where her bright, beautiful knitted creations take over a fountain, benches, trees, bicycles, a guitar, and more with 7up the companion that refreshes Madga so she can reveal her true self and flair to the world.

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Magda Sayeg for Gap - Who is being promoted? What is being promoted?

Its a reality that artists need to fund themselves and their art careers. When they take on a commission, there is a danger that their message will be compromised by the message of the person who is paying them. How do they decide where to draw the line? It is a difficult balance to strike.33

My goal is to transcend something that is ordinary and in our everyday lives into something different hard or concrete becomes soft and warm; gray or dirty becomes bright and colorful. Magda SayegWith every piece I create I try to bring awareness to various issues around the world, issues that are important to me. It's disturbing that we still have to fight for fundamental human rights today, specifically women's and gay rights. -Olek

Artists have goals and intentions for their work and sometimes they even hope to create change in the world through their art.34

Magda Sayeg Final thoughts?Anna: Her work is just going after color and money. Dolfo: We all put her down because its the opposite of street art, and taking money without purpose. KT: Shes not so open about her political views. She uses the commercials as a way to show her art. Chess: Sayeg is FLUFF.Gio: Artists try to make a living from their passion! Shes making money doing what she loves. Olek Final thoughts?.Anna: I like OLEK more than Sayeg, her work is serious and has meaning. Dolfo: Olek is very anti-authority and would never do a 7-up commercial. KT: Olek has one goal: to bring these problems in society to light. Shes not afraid to tell you something about it.


Magda Sayeg Final thoughts?Rachel: Doesnt really care about issues. Shes putting her work out there. Tash: brings ordinary objects to our attention. Anesia: her work is about everyday thingsCamila: IT doesnt matter who sees it, or if they understand her intention. Steph: All about embracing the colorsssssOlek Final thoughts?Rachel: Shes more about Human RIGHTS and how women and LGBTQ folks are viewed in society. Tash: Redefines our thinking about issues.Anesia: Olek takes monuments or things that are huge to talk about human rightsCamila: She has a more specific audience, and shes targeting an IDEA. Steph: Both have different intentions.


Education

Olek and Magda Sayeg