In an area well-known for its community actions and spontaneous outbreaks of street art, the past few weeks have seen the yarn bombing of nearly 40 bollards positioned on Praga’s Kawęczyńska street.
In an area well-known for its community actions and spontaneous outbreaks of street art, the past few weeks have seen the yarn bombing of nearly 40 bollards positioned on Praga’s Kawęczyńska street.
Led by an NGO called The Michałów Society (Praskie Stowarzyszenie Mieszkańców “Michałów”), the action began last year when a diverse range of locals volunteered to knit covers during online workshops conducted at the peak of the lockdown.
Premiering at the start of summer, the patterns included a winged angels and smiley faces, not to mention cheeky gnomes, pizza wedges and top-hat touting witch.
Temporarily removed in mid-June to allow for repairs to the tramline, the colorful installations have now returned and are again thrilling the public as Warsaw’s most unlikely and ‘Instagramable’ attraction.
What Is It!?
Oft-described as a sub-genre of street art, yarn bombing originated in the States when – according to some sources – a group of Texas knitters sought to find a creative way to get shot of their leftover materials: hey presto, yarn bombing was born. Sometimes dubbed ‘graffiti knitting’, the practice will typically see street furniture or installations covered in crocheted patterns.
Something of a global phenomenon, some of the more famous examples include the yarn bombing of a tank outside Dresden’s Military Museum, the covering of Pittsburgh’s Warhol Bridge, as well as the knitted blanketing of the Wall Street bull by the Polish artist Olek.
All photos: Sylwester Klimiuk
