Knitting has covered the Main Street Bridge in Cambridge, Ontario. The colourful piece of public art called KNIT camBRIDGE was unveiled during the grand opening ceremony this weekend.
Hundreds of knitters from all over the world have had their needles busy over the past months creating the swaths of material used for the bridge blanket. Stripes, squares, skulls, flowers, giant socks and even knitted Canadian flags wrap the four concrete arches, railings and light posts on the heritage bridge that crosses the Grand River. It took over 16,000 zip ties to join all of the pieces.
The KNIT camBridge project, conceived by local artist Sue Sturdy, was intended to remind the residents of Cambridge of the area's connection with the textile industry.
When the work is dismantled at the end of the month, the knitted pieces will be professionally cleaned and tweaked into scarves and blankets. Most will be donated to the needy and others will be auctioned off for the Cambridge Center for the Arts.
I captured these photos during the grand opening.
Knitted Bridge Art
'KNIT camBRIDGE' Project Covers Heritage Bridge in Colour
Trend Themes
1. Knitted Public Art - The trend of using knitting as a form of public art creates opportunities for disruptive innovation in the art industry and tourism industry.
2. Community Art Projects - The trend of community art projects, such as KNIT camBRIDGE, provides opportunities for disruptive innovation in community engagement and social impact initiatives.
3. Upcycling for Social Good - The trend of upcycling knitted pieces from public art projects for donation to those in need creates opportunities for disruptive innovation in social impact initiatives and sustainable fashion industry.
Industry Implications
1. Art - The knitted bridge art trend presents disruptive innovation opportunities for artists to experiment with new mediums and unconventional forms of public art.
2. Tourism - The use of knitting as public art in tourist attractions, such as the KNIT camBRIDGE project, presents disruptive innovation opportunities in the tourism industry by providing unique and interactive experiences for visitors.
3. Fashion - Upcycling knitted pieces from public art projects creates disruptive innovation opportunities in the sustainable fashion industry, where the concept of repurposing textiles is becoming increasingly popular.