Yarn Bombing Glow in The Dark

Abstract

Handicrafts no longer limited to regular applications such as clothing, accessories, home decorations, etc. Recently, they are used as daily activities to express feelings and thoughts in public places on unusual objects such as trees, walls, street furniture like benches and other surfaces to reconfigure the aesthetics of the public space through modern art called “yarn bombing”. Yarn bombing or Yarn graffiti is a type of street art which uses needlework of all kinds (such as crochet, knitting, etc.) and textile techniques (such as quilting, sewing, etc.) for employing colorful displays and decorating objects. Yarn bombing appeared in 2005 in Houston, Texas and then began to spread rapidly by means of contemporary social communications, but it remains obscure and largely unknown in Egypt. This paper argues the applicability of yarn bombing in Egypt and studies the aesthetic aspects of using luminous yarn that glow in the dark to yarn bomb public places (gardens and sports clubs). It also includes a study of the individual response and the possibility of spreading and developing this art in Egypt to get benefit from its expected practical advantages. The study shows different reactions and inspirations toward yarn bombing represented in the possibility of using yarn bombed places and objects as an invitation to learn handicrafts, expanding relationships and exchanging experiences between professionals and amateurs for developing the public sense of aesthetics.