On April the 11th I decorated two benches, a pole and a bollard, in Wigan Town center. I did this partly to publicize my shop on it’s first birthday and also just because I wanted to do a Yarnbombing.
Firstly I had planned to make things like crocheted Pizza, Donner Kebabs and beer cans and leave them around the town center, as pretty litter but as I started to plan it all out, I began to think about The Olympic Opening Ceremony and how they depicted a beautiful land that was paved over in the name of progress. This combined with a story I had read as a child, about a young witch who made creeping ivy vines and brambles burst threw the patio in her hated neighbors garden and attack her.
I thought that this could be a really interesting idea for my project. I wanted to make it look as though the dormant plant life underneath the choking concrete flags had suddenly come to the surface but rather than taking over and destroying outright, it is slowly creeping up on us and lulling us into a false sense of security.
As one bench was in front of Starbucks, I decorated it with flower and butterfly cushions, a Starbucks Frappacino and a plate of jammy toast and a croissant, so that people could sit with a drink and just relax as they watch the world go by, blissfully unaware of the vines slowly creeping up on them.
After having perfect weather for the previous month, i started to rain about five hours after I finished putting it up but it has gotten so much positive feedback on sites such as Facebook and the staff in Starbucks asked if i would like to leave some business cards for customers to take, so I took some in and knocked them up another Frappacino for by the til.
Sadly the cushions and breakfast stuff was removed but i was prepared for that.I’m just so happy that it went down so well with the people of Wigan and I hope you all enjoy the pictures.
I would also like to say a big thank you to Gill Kent and Sophie Bold (www.strangecasecollective.com) for taking some of the pressure off me by sending me some beautiful flowers and butterfly’s and thanks to Mike Mathews of Wigan Council for being so accommodating and helpful. If all goes to plan, I will have a stall on wigan Market soon.
