Exploring other materials that can be crocheted, I was keen to investigate copper wire of various types. The wire is as malleable as yarn can be, but acts differently when it is being crocheted; on wire, it is not as easy to smooth out curves and knots as it is on yarn, and is generally more robust to work with. Furthermore, I was intrigued by the manner in which the wire interacts with light and shadow. The copper wire used is reminiscent of ‘coconut husk fibers’, enabling light to reflect and travel through not only the gaps between the crochet knots, but also those between the individual wires. The wire also glows differently under various light forms, adding an exciting visual element as viewers engage with the swatches. Through this series of explorations, I also wanted to explore the complexities of artistic labor, celebrate the variations and inconsistencies, and contemplate the nuances of human (manual) labor in an increasingly digital and technological world.

Crocheting with Copper Wire (exploratory series)

_‹Where I End› was the inaugural exhibition of the WIE Kollektiv, a group of ten international artists from diverse backgrounds. The October exhibition at the Backhaus Projects, Berlin, explored the theme of boundaries - from the personal to the universal. Each of the works told a story of reevaluating self-identity, relationships and our place in the broader tapestry of existence. ‹Where I End› was a multi-sensory experience that invited visitors to journey into that elusive space where they end and everything else begins._

  
As part of the exhibition, I presented Tracing the Invisible no. 16 and the crochet sculpture Tangible no. 3 that was born from the charcoal gestural drawing.

  
As crochet flows, so do the actions my hands make. They are an extension of my being; a reflection of who I am at that moment, never the same again. I want to remember these moments, engraving them as an artwork in and of itself. They live on as etches, ‘gestural drawings’ that I unconsciously make on paper. These traces of the invisible capture the grand and minuscule, time's passage, and the actions’ essence. Born from the contours and boundaries of this cacophony of the traces is an organic composite, a multi-layered topography. Exploring the subtleties of the grayscale spectrum, I traverse the journey between black and white. Amidst the rigid opposites and in rejecting the stark contrasts, fluid perspectives emerge; differences become subtler and the influence of one on the other is clearer. The two-dimensional acquires a third-dimension through space in the textile sculpture, bridging the gap between the flat and the tangible.

WIE Kollektiv : Where I End (exhibition artwork)

I find the interplay between different forms and mediums, and the limitless potential for experimentation within these interactions, fascinating. I was keen to explore how texture can play an unconventional role in my practice, by imprinting the crochet stitches onto clay. Texture is an integral aspect of my work as it provides a tactile dimension; a new language of sorts, to create an immersive and sensory experience that engages the viewer beyond form and color. Through this, the process of engaging with two different materials through the imprinting offered the potential to explore intricate textures that juxtaposed the softness and tangible delicacy of yarn and crochet knots, with the smooth solidity and durability of the clay. Up close, one can easily acknowledge the texture of the yarn and knots that were imprinted. This exploration broadened my understanding of texture, and the ways it can convey emotions, moods and meaning.

Soft Remnants (series)

I was keen to further my exploration of working with garbage bag strips and develop new sets of numbers to form the crochet parameters. I quickly realised the generative power of the same set of numbers, exploring various mathematical functions on the same sequence of numbers, thus enabling me to conceptualize and crochet a myriad of other forms. I was keen to push

the boundaries of what I could achieve with the constraints I had put on this project, whilst also challenging what I could achieve through crochet and material experimentation.

  

A Day in an Object (variations)

This work-in-progress series serves as a departure from working primarily with textiles, and I find myself veering away from the conventional medium and redirecting my artistic inquiries toward alternative materials that possess yarn-like properties.

  
I have begun experimenting with black garbage bags, ingeniously repurposing them into elongated, slender strips. This expansion of my material palette not only nurtures my creative growth but also unlocks possibilities for unconventional textures, shapes, and techniques that elude traditional artistic supplies. Resourcefulness becomes a guiding principle, as I skillfully employ the resources readily available within my immediate environment, intimately acquainting myself with the materiality of the medium and exploring ways to manipulate it within my artistic practice.

A Day in an Object (from Meaningful in its Meaninglessness)

Numbers play a vital role in crochet, serving as the foundation for this series. My endeavor is to harmoniously balance my artistic inclinations with the well established crochet patterns, all while maintaining mathematical precision. This body of work unearths numbers extracted from my surroundings, subsequently transformed into crocheted forms. These numerical influences constitute the conceptual framework through which I explore the intricacies of daily encounters. Employing simple mathematical formulae, I establish unique parameters for crocheting, thereby recontextualizing these numbers as prominent protagonists within the artistic narrative, giving rise to forms that are intertwined with my own circumstances. The emergent forms are particularly intriguing as I am conscious of the repetitive patterns and the disruption that I could possibly introduce, creating an element of surprise within the composition.

Meaningful in its Meaninglessness

Furthering the exploration into the time and labor behind crochet, an additional ‘step’ to the '_Tracing the Invisible_' project was to trace the borders of the ‘charcoal or white marker drawings’, generating an organic form that is similar to the contour of the drawings. This contour form was then crocheted, creating a new outcome and visual language from the drawings, a new perspective to exploring the dimensions of the labor behind this art form.

Tangible (from Tracing the Invisible)

This series highlights the labor behind the process of crocheting. Here, a charcoal stick was attached to the crochet hook, creating a long arm-like structure that moves as I begin to crochet. The movement of the hook, and inadvertently the charcoal stick, translates into ‘gestural drawings’ onto the paper, tracking the process; the grander gestures and the minuscule, and the time and labor behind crochet. The project produces two outcomes: the

‘direct’ product - the final crochet piece, and the ‘indirect charcoal drawings’.

  
I furthered this exploration by varying the drawing media (charcoal sticks, markers), and the different types of knots and forms I make, developing a body of work that gives new meaning to an overlooked part of any art practice. Each drawing is unique and non-reproducible, highlighting how important the movements are as the final forms themselves. Drawing these

connections between seemingly disparate aspects of my practice, and within art itself, is rooted in my identity as both an artist, and an individual.

Tracing the Invisible (series)

In this series, I translated the appearance of shrubs I had encountered whilst hiking into sculptures composed of yarn and wire. The Euphorbia larica is a semi-succulent flowering shrub commonly found across the Arabian Peninsula that is used for roof thatching and as various forms of bait. I had encountered this plant in Mleiha-Sharjah.

  
What was intriguing to me were the visual qualities of the shrub’s branches: the juxtaposition of their wavy form against their tangible hardness, and the volume of the shrub; characteristics worthy of further exploration. For this series, I used metal wire and yarn to form the base of the sculptures, then crocheted on it. The wire lends itself as the ‘woody hardness’, and the yarn

forms the shapes of the branches; the several layers of the form reveal a new structure. Crocheting with wire created a form that was malleable yet plastic, and the combination of the two distinct materials created a unique texture and visual impact that may not have been achieved with yarn alone.

Asbaq (series)

My creative process is driven by intuition and embraces the unfamiliar - to not fear anything my hands may create. Whilst I am proficient in the various techniques of crochet: the materials, the types of knots, the mathematics behind the forms - a core aspect of my process is my interaction with the material and the instinctive act of not adhering to a predetermined pattern, allowing the material and my movements to guide the final outcome. The meditative mindset of crocheting is an integral part of my practice. As I crochet, the shapes of the knots remain the same throughout the piece regardless of how many times I produce the knots. However, my environment and my being (my thoughts, actions and moods) are constantly changing, impacting every knot I make. Thus, I do not consider crocheting to be a repetitive act - every repetition is unique. This series is a manifestation of this relationship between my mind, my hands and my creative practice.

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Sulafa Mohammed