Graffiti Knitting

Justin Whang | December 12, 2022

Illustration courtesy: Lea You

The weather is getting colder and Christmas is getting closer. Just as we are adding on layers of attire, the trees are doing the same.

A group of 100 citizen volunteers gathered at the Deoksugung Stone-wall road (Deoksugung Doldam-gil) in the Jung-gu province late October to "yarn bomb" trees. They launched the "Graffiti Knitting Exhibition," and decorated over 230 tree trunks with woo; "coats over a three month period.

The group, composed of citizens ranging from ages 14 to 76, met twice a month at the Jung gu community center. Funded and sanctioned by the local government, a community artist led the group and taught them how to knit. Each volunteer contributed to the project by decorating at least two trees.

"Graffiti knitting" (or "yarn bombing") is the practice of dressing objects — mostly trees — in public spaces with knitted yarn. Yarn bombing is a form of decorative street art practiced worldwide. Unlike other forms of street art such as spray paint graffiti, yarn bombing is harmless and often motivated by people's desire to "warm up" otherwise empty public spaces.

The designs the group produced share a common theme of flowers. In light of the changing seasons, this project helps dress the trees with warm winter apparel. The yarn is purely decorative, however, with no real heating function to the trees. Creating winter coats for the trees is a delicate process that requires great precision. The final product must fit the tree trunk perfectly, as a coat too big can slide off easily. Each design was custom-made for each tree, and the volunteers knitted the final touches on-site.

Yarn installations, similar to this one, were first publicly organized in Seoul in May 2017. A different community group continues to annually illuminate the trees in Garosugil, a popular strip of Gangnam, with yarn "coats." This street is decorated every May and December.

Magda Sayeg, a Texan woman who worked at an apparel shop in 2005, is credited with creating yarn bombing. According to The Guardian, Sayeg started knitting items for various objects in her neighborhood to "add color" to her ugly and bare surroundings. Since then, groups of "Yarn bombers" gathered in cities across the world and followed suit.

Not all citizens favor yarn-bombing. Some environmental activists believe yarn can constrict trees from growing tall Others worry the yarn will be abandoned as trash. Howel the groups of yarn bombers al ways clean up after themselves when the exhibition ends. "The hard work of the citizen volunteers not only warms the trees but also the hearts of onlookers," Jung-gu district mayor Kim commented in The Chosun.