LOOK: Greenbelt’s crochet-covered trees are every crafter’s dream

MANILA, Philippines – The past couple of years have seen crochet quietly sneaking its way out of your grandmother’s baul and back on the retail floor. Now, the quirky craft has made its way into art via an installation called “Yarn Bomb Knit Bomb,” done by the iconic knitwear queen andf fashion designer Lulu Tan Gan.

The exhibit was done by Lulu in collaboration with the Ayala Museum.

From dressing women in her always popular knitwear, Lulu has gone into covering trees in crochet for the exhibit. The exhibit isn’t held in a traditional space like a museum or gallery. Instead it is scattered all over the landscaped garden at the center of Greenbelt in Makati.

“Here, we’ve created scenes that train the spotlight on traditional craft, which includes images of our indigenous groups in a contemporary setting. This, in my opinion, is the best way to connect traditions and the present,” she Lulu said. “This exhibit is a journey that takes you both into the past and future, inspiring others to revive, repurpose and innovate traditional knitting, weaving and crochet.” 

Five areas of the Greenbelt garden play host to Lulu’s crochet, knit, and woven designs – which were created for her with the help of weavers, hobbyists, and fashion students from the College of St. Benilde School of Design and Arts.

“Retro by the Chapel,” located near the Greenbelt chapel, has crocheted doilies and patterns in white, cream, teal blue, and lavender covering the tree trunks. “Retro Walk,” beside the Greenbelt 4 shops, features hand-loomed knits in black, yellow, and teal hues adorning the lammposts and even some of the rocks in the nearby pond.

“Retro Tribo Walk,” found on the path between Greenbelt 4 and Greenbelt 5, has Tinguian and T’Boli-inspired hand-loomed knits in blue, green, black, and turquoise. “Retro Steps,” found behind the Greenbelt chapel, has bright pink, blue, and yellow knits covering the bamboo trees.

The centerpiece of the exhibit is the Retro Galactic Comunitree, which was designed in partnership with crowdsourced craft enthusiasts.

The towering tree is perhaps the most eye-catching and unique, with crocheted creations done in different styles – from emojis to crochet critters climbing up the branches – making it all the more visually interesting. 

“Yarn Bomb Knit Bomb” will be up at the Greenbelt garden until January 14, 2018. – Rappler.com