A knit project by artist Kelly Ridley (K. Ridley Photo)

Kelly Ridley: cocooning

January 13 – January 30, 2010

An installation by Chatham-Kent artist Kelly Ridley will be featured at ARTspace January 13 – 30, 2010. The reception for this exhibition will be a part of the 2^nd Annual Winter Art Crawl, January 23, 2010 @ 6pm.

Historically, ‘craft revivals’ of one kind or another have been accompanied or provoked by political and economic upheavals, alongside rapid technological advances. A reconnection with ‘traditional’ crafts provides a sense of contact with what we perceive to be a simpler, safer time. Making beauty in a world that can seem ugly or frightening provides a sense of resistance to the incursions of technology, even as we embrace and incorporate the conveniences that technology provides.

In cocooning, these themes are literalized. Over the course of the installation, Ridley will knit an egg around herself, sealing herself from the outside world. The egg will be connected to yarns and knitted panels throughout the window symbolizing the strands that anchor cocoons in nature. These also refer to the connection and dependence on the influences of the outside world that the cocoon and craft inevitably require.

This installation will be featured in the window at ARTspace and will coincide with the exhibition of new work by ARTspace exhibiting members. Current members are:  Lindsay Beaubien, Ron Blommers, Hank Bos, Tracy Bultje, Beverly Campbell, Mark Clifford, Christy Dekoning, Karen Dysarz, Beverly Fish, Becky Fixter Vagners, Jessica Glasgow, Karen Hearn, Marilyn Hearn, Barbara Jane Jack, Leonard Jubenville, Clare Kilpatrick, Jon Erik Kroon, Laurie Langford, Scott J Livingstone, Fran Lucid, Sandra McCarthy, Betty Anne McGeorge, Charlene McGill, Peter Moffat, Helen Normandeau, Ben Payne, Cornelis Peet, Mark Reinhart, Kelly Ridley, Eric Shaw, Alysson Storey, Lorie Thibault, Linda van de Bovenkamp, Cathy Van Raay-Myers, Phil Vanderwall, Andrea Vuletin, Bob West, Valerie West, and Vanessa Wright.

ARTspace is a gallery featuring artwork for sale created by Chatham-Kent artists. ARTspace is located at 165½ King Street in downtown Chatham, Ontario. ARTspace is open 12-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. ARTspace is a Thames Art Gallery community arts initiative in partnership with the Community Futures Development Corporation and Municipality of Chatham-Kent Community Partnership Fund.