"Melissa Cole has fallen in love with crochet. So much so that the south Auckland woman has started covering parts of Ōtāhuhu's streets with the colourful artwork"
......"That creative passion is in my blood. The ultimate crochet dream would be to maybe cover a building or a house in crochet," Melissa Cole says
READ the full article: "Auckland woman wants to cover the world in crochet", Kymberlee Fernandes for Manukau Courier here. & the VIDEO clip below.
Learn about Melissa's recent Joy Project below and follow Follow Melissa and The Joy Project on Facebook Lissy Cole Designs and Instagram to see more pictures of the Ōtāhuhu installations. #TheJoyProject #MāngereŌtāhuhuArts
Melissa Cole has been an Ōtāhuhu-based textile artist and fashion designer for more than 20 years. She sells her work primarily online, and loves getting involved with exhibitions and events in the local area. Through the winter months Melissa will be creating a series of public art interventions using installations of hand-made and site-specific crochet art. Melissa has recently experimented by making a series of large-scale poppies attached to the Princes Street overbridge for ANZAC day, and is interested to explore other sites and themes around her community to bring colour and life to spaces commonly overlooked.
The Joy Project stems from Melissa love for textiles, crafting and Ōtāhuhu. "My work gives me a lot of joy to create, and shares joy with those who encounter it in unexpected places. I propose to create and document six installations with themes relating to Ōtāhuhu’s natural, commercial and cultural landscape. The Joy Project is a love letter to Ōtāhuhu, to give local people something to smile about and reflect on the landscape and spaces we share. The approach of using public space as the site and context of crochet installations is part of the ‘yarn bombing’ movement. My love and current obsession with crochet is inspired by American crochet artist, London Kaye who began her practice with the agenda of beautifying her neighbourhood. She has a massive global following and subscribes to the same kaupapa of simply spreading the joy!" - Melissa Cole
Follow Melissa and The Joy Project on Facebook Lissy Cole Designs and Instagram.
You can also enjoy learning more about Melissa here:
- Designer Profile: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y64d7l-9J9E
- TV3 Nightline Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi8M8v8otAA
