Knitting as Art

It's sometimes hard for me to think of knitting objects that aren't clothing.  After visiting the Hyperbolic Coral Reef, I should know better.  This morning, I discovered the German artist Anette Streyl.  She plans detailed, scale models of well-known buildings in yarn.

There are two sides to her artwork:  First, the 1:100 scale knitted shells atop stone carvings of their buildings:

McDonald's Restaurant

Great Hall Berlin

Second, the skins on exhibit empty, hung like clothing on a line:

Great Hall Berlin

Ikea Store

There is something about seeing such large, sturdy buildings hanging limp and empty that interests me.  I wonder if the artist is trying to send a message about the importance of buildings, or what is inside of buildings.

I must note that the artist does not knit the buildings herself.  She carefully plans then in great detail, and then they are knit up by another woman with a knitting machine.  To learn more about Anette Streyl and her work, see this article on Twist Collective, or visit Streyl's website.