'FOURWAY, NOWAY, LEGROOM, HEADROOM & ARMED' by Freddie Robins. 1999 Machine knitted wool
'BILLY WOOL' by Freddie Robins. 2001 Machine knitted wool600 x 600 mm
'HAND OF GOOD, HAND OF GOD' by Freddie Robins. 1997 Machine knitted wool 960 x 520 mm In the collection of the Crafts Council, London.
'HEADCASE' by Freddie Robins. 2000 Machine knitted wool 1510 x 580 x 700 mm. My studio practise questions conformity and notions of normality, and intersects the categorisation of art and craft. I use knitting to explore pertinent contemporary issues of the domestic, gender and the human condition. I find knitting to be a powerful medium for self-expression and communication because of the cultural preconceptions surrounding it. My work subverts these preconceptions and disrupts the notion of the medium being passive and benign. My ideas are expressed through an exploration of the human form and have resulted in pieces such as "Odd Gloves" and "Odd Sweaters". These series question physical normality incorporating both humour and fear. The titles are important. I like to play on words to make visual suggestions: "Hand of Good, Hand of God" and "Skin - a good thing to live in". In "Anyway" I explore value and scale through the production of a large knitted sculpture made on CAD controlled industrial machinery.
I really like Freddie Robins work and feel i can relate to it well, i like the way in which knitting is turned into art work and how there is a powerful meaning behind each piece. I find the way that her knitting defines normality brilliant and very much want to incorporate that into my own work.
