#doris mae

Doris Mae worked 4F in :50.40.

Tonight I visited the Doris Mae Gallery in DC. There was an installation by Rachel England that I thought was really enjoyable. As I entered the gallery space, I saw a room full of salt-water-taffy-like stripes descending down the walls. The beautiful colors enticed me to enter the room. Inside, there were dozens of knitted (or crochet?) scarf-like fabrics attached to the walls and ceiling. Two kids and three adults were all pulling on threads and unraveling the installation. There was a pile of yarn in the middle of the room.

 I spoke to Tom Drymon, the gallery proprietor, and he said the artist had been working on knitting all of this since last November. He said, "The artwork isn't complete until the whole thing is unraveled". 

I enjoyed this installation on many levels because:

The colors and the patterns filled the room. It was visually, a very happy installation.

Visitors could interact with the art, and kids were playing with the artwork. Any time kids play with your art, you have succeeded. 

It flirts with the notions of permanence, and the temporary. It was like erasing a very big drawing.

There is an innate sense of warmth, and also comfort associations that come with seeing knitted fabric, reminding us of a scarf that Grandma made.

It made me think of the cartoons where someone would pull on a thread, and their whole sweater would unravel. 

There was an overall sense of fun to the installation.

Doris Mae is located at 1716 14th St NW, Washington, DC.