2007

Shane Waltener

Over Here

Over Here is made out of knitted fishing line and attached, spider-web-like, between two trees at the edge of the Jupiter Artland woodland.

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Like many of the works installed at Jupiter Artland, Over Here plays with the tension inherent in adding a cultural object to a beautiful, quasi-natural setting. Its lace-like form means that the artwork flickers between fitting in, almost invisibly, amidst its surroundings and declaring itself as a human intervention. If both its materials and its form imply the capture of unsuspecting prey, the piece in fact works gently to lure, capture and frame the viewer’s gaze.

It has been strategically placed so that panoramic views of the woods, fields and hills beyond can be seen through the eye of the web. The knitted web thus becomes a map of sorts, a tool for orientation, offering a specific experience of the surrounding environment.

“I chose to use multiple strands of fishing line, knitted together, to create a netted structure with a diaphanous effect, using a traditional Shetland lace technique. The question now is, if fishermen were to make Shetland Lace, would they stop here to work and look at the view?”
Shane Waltener

About Shane Waltener

Shane Waltener’s work draws inspiration from craft traditions as much as art history. Sculptures, installations and performance work all reference in some way domestic crafts such as knitting, crochet, lace making techniques, sugarcraft and cooking.

Recent projects by the artist have become increasingly participatory, involving artists, visitors, spectators and community groups in the making of the artworks. Waltener facilitates a process of ‘crafting’ together in order to allow for cultural and social histories relating to these crafts to be freely exchanged. The outcome of the work tells of these particular histories.