Firstly, before I go into the ins and outs of what this project about, perhaps I should explain, to any non Britishers out there what the word 'bonkers' actually means.
It has nothing to do with bonking!
It's true meaning in the U.K. at least, is nuts, crazy, doolally, a bit mad, or a bit mental.
So this project is about mental health, my own, and a great many others out there in the world, many who I consider to be friends.
I'm not sure exactly where the idea of small knitted bears came from.
I used, years ago, to spin my own yarns and then fashion knitted and woven items.
It was at that time, before I 'became a proper artist', I also used to read the American magazine Spin Off.
The issue dated September 1988 had a wonderful article, and more importantly a pattern, about hand spun handknitted bears and at that time I made myself one.
No idea quite why, but for all these years and several moves later, including to Canada and back, I still have that pattern and a small amount of very special yarn fashioned from mohair, silk and baby camel hair.
I gave away 2 spining wheels and a quantity of yarns, but still kept hold of the pattern and the very soft special yarn.
I have also discovered that despite not having knitted in 'years' I was still able to and had noticed that even the toughest, hardest looking guy would melt at the sight of a slightly odd, or bonkers looking knitted creature.
So the idea occured to me to try, somehow or other, to roll out this idea as far as possible and supply someone, experiencing a mental health episode, with one of my bears (emblazoned with uplifting words).
My hope was that this individual would realise that someone out there does give a crap about them, and perhaps, just perhaps, knowing this might help them in some small way. Enabling them to make continue to live, rather than harm, or even kill themselves.
I also find personally that the physical act of fashioning this little beasties helps me and my mental health too.
I sent a few monkeys, kaolas and bears to various mates who needed them, my stock of bears travelled to and from Finland, for an artsists residency and I pondered vaguely how I could release my bonkers bears into the world.
Then an opportunity came along to exhibit them in Vienna amongst an enormous joint street art show in the Wien Museum.
Before the bears could be exhibited, 2 disappeared, and just before they were nailed on the wall a further one was liberated by someone, unknown, to me or the curators.
The museum staff were very upset, my friend Caroline, who has instigated the street art exhibition, was upset, and I was a little discombulated.
It was true that the accompanying signage did say " if you are experiencing a mental health crisis please take one of us home and we will love you. When and if you feel better, please pass me on to someone else who needs me" so the people who took me the bears prior to being exhibited were only doing want I wanted them too, they were taking me at my word!
I have now sent a further 5 bonkers bears, only one using the last of the specially soft hand spun yarn, to Vienna and I anticipate sending more before the exhibition ends in early September
Will post more images and just a few words of the bonkers bears and their adventures.
