Voices of Cork: The Knitting Map Speaks by Kieran McCarthy
Above the earth there is a satellite, which looks down at Cork, and watches the movements of people and cars around the city. Down in the hub, small cameras watch the city in detail, and meteorological equipment tastes the weather. Through up to date technology, this information is transformed into a knitting pattern, which constantly shifts. Down in the city, there is a long room in the crypt of St. Luke's Church, where dozens of people knit for a year. "The Knitting Map" is an amazing project, so many things rolled into one, a textile project, art installation and, a community project. It is mammoth keeping everything going. With the community side, people need to feel rewarded and valued...setting up an atmosphere, which allows people to meet other people and yet the knitting gets done...then you have the textiles...the technology and its unpredictability...the fact that it's not a map of a place but a year...as an art installation and developing the artistic worth of it, finding a forum for it, making connections with other places that the craft of it can be recognized" (Elizabeth O'Dea, half-angel Company Administrator, 2005). "The Knitting Map" is a fabric art and technology project, created over the 2005 calendar year, in collaboration with several communities, and a newly created community of knitters. Voices chart the memories, dreams and life experiences of the community of "The Knitting Map". The stories are fascinating, diverse and a cross section of the human experience.