new links

If you want more information about the 5 main plastic islands in the oceans, also known as ‘gyres’  or ‘plastic soup’, you can have a look under links on this page and click on ’5gyres’. You will find information about worldwide expeditions, scientific research, actions, experiences with boats constructed with plastic trash etc. Also images of birds, fishes and other see animals dying of to much plastic inside or ropes around their bodies.

Also new is the link to Little Shiva, who reacted many times on this blog and represents a creative network on her own, with many other interesting links as well. It is certainly worth to visit her blog ‘visible trash’.

She send us another few links about the plastic invasion and people trying to fight it. She wrote:

‘Cynthia Vanderlip, manager of the State of Hawaii’s Kure Atoll Wildlife Sanctuary, cut open the dead body of a fledgling Laysan albatross (nicknamed “Shed Bird”) to find more than half a pound of plastic in its stomach.

Concentrated on the right are all the items retrieved from inside the bird: Plastic lighters, bottle caps, and other plastics that are carelessly tossed often wind up floating on the ocean surface, where they are occasionally consumed by foraging seabirds and other marine creatures.

• Link to full story on Tree Hugger
• The North Pacific Gyre (a.k.a. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch)  [wiki]
• Interview on FurledSails.com with oceanographer Dr. Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer, who studies ocean currents using scientific instruments and flotsam lost from container ships.’

mushrooming

The toxic sprouts we put on the bridge over the canal in Clabecq almost 2 weeks  ago now are still in place. Many people notice it, although it looks quit small from far. It confirms our idea that a work does not have to be big to have an impact and that it is worth to keep it small. With our handmade slow art we find ourselves at the opposite of the big, bigger, biggest (sponsored) art projects initiated by city marketeers a.o.  On the other hand in our approach many hands can make our projects grow and so the sprouts can mushroom on many places.

This summer I want to walk alongside the canal from Clabecq to Charleroi and work with what I find on my way. Talking to people I meet I will seek collaboration and share the decision making about interventions of this kind in the common space.

 

toxic sprouts

ArtPLASTIEKfabrique & tricot trottoir will continue the production of the toxic ‘choux de poubelles’ during the year 2012. As soon as the weather is better we will assemble them and place them alongside the canal Bruxelles-Charleroi, at certain places where plastic pollution is high. At this moment several groups are involved in the sprout production, but we are still looking for local partnerships and collaborations for the installation of the stuff. The toxic sprout can be assembled and placed as if they were parasites growing around the poles of a bridge or anything like that, or they can as a creeper overgrow a big pile of plastic trash, fished from the canal. The picture above shows a first test in that direction, with some sprouts attached on an abandoned household object.

novaknitting

Cinema Nova is a well known alternative cinema in Brussels. For its tens anniversary in February 2012 Tricot trottoir decided to make something for them. We don’ know yet what it is going to be, but we like to explore this material and find out in which way it can be transformed into something interesting by knitting, crocheting, weaving, etc. Micro Marché will host the novaknitting as a work in progress. Lieve, Barbara and An organised a number of special worksessions together. During the monthly tricot trottoir meeting this Friday 2 December it is to be continued.

In the same time we wil continue the other project : les choux the poubelles , which took a real good start in a workshop in Les Marolles on 15 November. A mixed group of 25 women crocheted in a few hours 2 meters of this funny vegetable. They will soon meet again in order to decide about the right place for it to be installed.

Another group that has produced many dirty sprouts already is a group of neighbours in La Grande Cense in Clabecq. Some day in december they will install their works close to the canal Bruxelles – Charleroi.

Welcome to join us from 16-18 hrs in Micro Marché tomorrow.

 

big bag

A big bag full of plastic trash is passing by while we are busy with ‘HAAK’, a crochet installation for Museum M in Leuven. The bag contains only the packing of a few new chairs for the Midsummerfestival which is to be held this weekend in the garden. It sets our our symbolic recycle activity into perspective: still a lot of work to do …..

‘HAAK’ is a work in plastic trash (crocheted out of hundreds of plastic bags), made on the demand of the Midsummerfestival and Museum M. It will stay in the courtyard untill the end of August 2011 and can be visited during opening hours.

new member

Barbara en profil

Barbara de front

How do you like this balaclava? Like every streetknitter wanting to join tricot trottoir (TT) we asked Barbara to create her own cagoule. She did it quickly and made something flashy and fashionable, but perfectly combinable with wooden shoes or other traditional outfits…

Barbara joined the gang since the last TT meeting in Juin, as always on the first friday of the month in Micro Marché. She wondered if we could do something to defend the trees next to Thurn&Taxis as they are threatened to be cut soon. We decided to wait what the local defence comittee decides and see from there if something can be contributed by tricot trottoir. In the mean time we continue with ‘coral canal’ both in Brussels and Clabecq, hoping to get an answer soon from the international Crochetcoralreefnetwork and from platform canal in Molembeek.

Next:

This saterday 25 juin 13-15 p.m.: installation of a flower tapestry on the big gates of St Lucas, Groenstraat Schaarbeek. Welcome!

Friday July 1 16-18 p.m.: tricot trottoirs monthly meeting in Micro Marché. Interested? Bring plastic bags and crochet or knitting needles.

plastic roses

Artplastiekfabrique is not only the ‘motherhouse’ of tricot trottoir but also a permanent workshop, where new items are produced and orders can be taken. The 50 roses were made for the celebration of a 50 years long lasting marriage in the neighbourhood.

canal coral

Tricot trottoir is testing techniques in order to join the international crochet coral reef network. We asked to be hosted as a satellite project and are waiting for the answer at the moment. One of our members found the website (http://crochetcoralreef.com) two years ago, but we only took it up now, as we were curious how such a ‘hyperbolic coralreef crocheting’ works out in practice.  Also because we are planning to do something in plastic trash alongside the canal in Brussels (where tons of plastic wast are dumped every day). Every body wanting to join in is welcome on the next meeting of tricot trottoir, always on the first friday of the month, from 4-6 pm in the Via Via café in Brussels (Micro Marché; Steenkoolkaai- Quai à la Houille 7-9).

knitt-A-plastic ANTWERP

Yesterday 15 March Chaterine attached a bonnet on one of the stone balls at De Groenplaats in Antwerp, as the finishing touch for knitt-A-plastic Antwerp. Two days before we decorated a few pillars of the band stand and the big A on the roof of the glasshouse entry to the underground parking. We noticed the need for a refreshment of this city symbol as it looked quit neglected. In our mission to take care of the environment we so combine two goals: cleaning up the streets from plastic and give some objects in the public space a new look. We covered 5 objects at De Groenplaats and invite every one who is passing by to find them and give us a reaction on this blog or join the gang. For this time we have an official authorisation until 16 May and we hope our work will stay in place till then, so that we can organise a festive décrochage. Unfortunately we forgot to take pictures of the completed work, so if anyone can send us some, MERCI.

To cover the 3 sides of the A we knitted 13m20x40cm and 3 times 70x30cm. Most of it was done in one day and one night, because the final decision to do this was only taken 2 days ago. Special thanks to Catherine, Magda, Nico, Jan, Birgit, An, Lieve and Yolanda and to the whole gang of knitt-A-plastic Antwerp. And thanks to MOMU for the ladder and the logistic support.

happy newyear

We wish all urban knitters and other workers in the public space a happy 2011. The flowers we put up on November 12 nearby the main offices of the E.U. are still in place. They resisted to snow and people picking flowers. Now someone has changed the composition of the whole thing by putting some knittings a bit higher. It is the first time that the work stays in place for such a long time and we are curious to see what will happen next.