Non so fare maglie (I don't know how to "knit")

Created by Inteatro, Polverigi, June 26, 2010

This participatory project, in collaboration with video artist and visual artist Ilaria Turba, has its roots in the solo Maglie (Knitting) (2008), in which Ambra Senatore appears in a long cross-stitch knitted dress. Non so Fare Maglie means both “I don’t know how to knit” and marks her refusal to continue performing her solo Maglie. However, it is a participatory extension of the piece, taking place off stage, where she meets local residents to explore a particular skill: knitting. This artisanal craft, passed down through family ties, is a long-standing tradition that is slowly disappearing. Between collective practice, transmission, and sharing, the two Italian artists humorously capture the knowledge imprinted in our memories, the gestures that inhabit us and seem familiar, despite ourselves. First, Ilaria Turba films and questions people she meets in urban spaces. Then, around a large 10m by 8m knitted piece, proposals are developed, resulting in a large collective installation, reinvented for each location.
Venturing beyond the theater stage, Ambra clearly lays the foundations for a multidisciplinary, collaborative practice for the first time.
Ilaria Turba will also be involved in the play/installation Eventails (2018), linked to Ilaria Turba’s Jest project.