I'm Knitting Green, 2011
Knitted scarves by Mercy, age 75 with Alzheimer's, wooden shelf, gold silk yarn, poem, and chalk.
8.5' x 4' x 18', variable on the floor
2011
Mercy, 77, is living with Alzheimer’s and loves to knit. Her son, my friend and colleague, gave me these scarves as an artist’s gift. For Mercy knitting has become her daily work. She may not remember other parts of her beautiful life, but she remembers how to knit. This piece is accompanied by the poem "Unraveling" by Pamela Nomura. Pam wrote this poem about Mercy even before I held the scarves in my hands. The poem is presented written on the floor with chalk where the natural activity within the gallery gradually wears away the written words.
(photos by Anita Gangi Balkun, A. Balkun Studio, West Hartford CT).