Ingrid Wagner, Big Knit World Record

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Casting Off - A Coat for A Boat

11th May 2009

An ambitious arts project from the Customs House Arts Centre in the North East of England has brought together the two seemingly disparate crafts of boat building and knitting and placed them in a contemporary gallery space.
Over 300 knitters from all over the UK and as far afield as Australia and New York have knitted a cover for a life size purpose built fishing boat. Complete with knitted fishing accessories from planks to porpoises, limpets to lobster pots and a sand carpet, the boat will form the core of an exhibition opening to the public on 13th June and running throughout the Summer at the Customs House. A second gallery will feature knitted maritime fashion. On the 12th July, the boat will be launched into the River Tyne for its maiden voyage before returning to the gallery. It will appear at the Knitting & Stitching Show in London in October and set sail on a UK gallery tour afterwards.

  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project
  • Cast Off - A boat in a Coat Project

Casting Off - A Coat for a Boat has struck the perfect balance between tradition and innovation. The boat itself has been built by the men of the North East Maritime Trust, an organisation created to preserve the skills of traditional wooden boatbuilding. Like knitting, their skills have been passed down from generation to generation and both craft areas represent the new 'cool' of 'do it yourself' contemporary culture.

Patterns for the boat's coat were created by lead artist Ingrid Wagner, following the lines of the fishing boat, which was designed to be cut into 4 sections to allow ease of entry to the 2nd floor gallery. Ingrid used innovative Big Knitting techniques on 400mmL 25mm diameter needles and recycled cotton sheets from a regional hospital laundry which were ripped and rolled into balls of 'yarn', to create the boat's coat. Interior & exterior knitted sections were applied to the boat once it had been bolted together in the gallery, using tried & tested waterproof glue and staples.

Esen Kaya, Visual Arts Development Officer at the Customs House, whose vision brought the project into being, says,
"The Customs House is located right on the river Tyne which has a long maritime tradition and I could see boats going up and down the river all day. My dream was to create something which people would never expect to see in a gallery: a life size fishing boat covered in knitting!"

Providing the opportunity for different sections of the community to come together to share skills, learn new ones and make new friends was high on the agenda. Between February & May, lively Saturday morning Knit & Natter sessions at the Customs House welcomed both experienced and novice knitters aged from five through to teenagers attracted by the quirky nature of the project, fine art students and graduates wanting to move their skills into different areas of practice as well as a whole range of professionals looking for a fun way of destressing from their busy lives and those who might usually be home alone.
"This has been a very exciting project to work on," says Ingrid. "Tradition and innovation must meet to enable any craft to grow and change with the times. Casting Off is a perfect example."

Additional contacts:

Esen Kaya - Visual Arts Development Officer
Customs House Gallery:
T: 0191 454 5450
M: 07793 837 769
E: esen@customshouse.co.uk
www.customshouse.co.uk

North East Maritime Trust Boat builders
T: 07779 785 666
E: dave.a.parker@talktalk.net
www.northeastmaritimetrust.co.uk

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