Yarn bomber hits Lansdowne campus

The railing along Richmond Street now offers a lovely view of the solar system. At least until someone takes the yarn down.

It seems the Richmond House, or at least the railing closest to it, was recently yarn bombed with a colourful crochet planetarium. And the dastardly culprit behind this fuzzy graffiti? Camosun student Spencer Diamond, who yarn bombs under the name Grandmother’s Legacy.

“My grandmother tried to teach me to knit when I was young, but it didn’t take,” laughs Diamond. “That’s where the name comes from.”

For the uninitiated, yarn bombing is actually considered a type of graffiti, but rather than paint or chalk, the artists use knitted or crocheted yarn or fibre. It may be a bit more work, but it’s non-destructive and can be easily removed if necessary.

Instead of being socio-political commentary, advertising, or straight-up vandalism, yarn bombing aims to bring colour to cold or sterile public places.

“In a dull concrete jungle people can sometimes forget to look around and enjoy their surroundings,” says Diamond. “My yarn bombs kind of force them to stop and at least go, ‘Huh.’”

The Richmond project seems to have the desired effect. Diamond says that while the piece was being installed, a lot of cars slowed down to see what they were doing.

“That’s why I chose the location,” he says. “All my major bombs have been selected with high visibility in mind.”

The high visibility has worked in attracting not just those driving past, but students, as well.

“I think yarn bombing is great for reclaiming public space,” says political science student Piotr Burek. “It’s unexpected; it creates a community around art.”

Another interesting aspect of Diamond’s yarn bombing is that it that it makes people reconsider gender stereotypes. Sandy Bannikoff, a Camosun philosophy instructor, says that it’s interesting that the yarn bombing was made by Diamond.

“It’s fascinating that a man created it,” says Bannikoff. “It challenges our assumptions about yarn bombing.”

For Diamond, yarn bombing is just the latest part of a yarning journey that began two years ago.

“My girlfriend went on a street-art reading craze, and brought back a book on yarn bombing from the library,” says Diamond. “I picked up some thrift-store yarn and crochet hooks and got YouTube to teach me. People told me crochet was easier than knitting, so I thought I would give it a try. It’s a good thing I did, because I love it.”