Over Here is a work by artist Shane Waltener, made from knitted fishing line and attached, spider-web-like, between two trees at the edge of Jupiter Artland’s woodland.

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.

‘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

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.

Biography

Shane Waltener is a sculptor and performer. His work draws inspiration from craft practices and traditions, alongside dance and performance. His practice is rooted in ideas about ecology and reuse. Projects, often in participatory settings, involve audiences in the making processes in order to facilitate personal, social and cultural histories to be exchanged. His work has used knitting, crochet, lace making techniques, sugarcraft and cooking.

Prompted by his interest in movement and dance, he co-founded Common Agency Projects with dance artist Laura Glaser, with whom he develops site-responsive outdoor performance work. He is a member of Ambient Jam Collective, a multi-media dance improvisation collective. Both projects explore choreographing making through improvisation, score writing and the use of materials and objects.

Waltener has exhibited work internationally. He is an associate lecturer at the University of the Arts London (UAL), a resident artist at Stave Hill Ecological Park in Rotherhithe and co-author of Practical Basketry Techniques published by A&C Black.