COUP de COEUR : Katie SCHUTTE ….. « in the deepest part of the oceans »

Katie Schutte

« My work is the result of uniting two unrelated areas of art and focusing on the exploration and execution of crochet techniques as methods for working with materials and processes associated with jewelry, enameling and metalsmithing.  By merging the craft of crochet with metal, I work to blur the separation of what is considered fine art and craft. At the same time, I am examining the value that contemporary society places on traditional women’s work by using crochet techniques and items to create objects and wearables from precious and non-precious materials. 

            By the end of the 19th century, traditional crochet items and the technique itself had come to be viewed by European and American society as valuable sought after status symbols.  However, as years progressed, crochet lost its importance and was eventually relegated to the status of ‘kitsch’, and continues to keep that connotation despite a renewal of interest in the technique.  As a result, crochet, like many other traditional feminine crafts, is undervalued in current society.
            Society’s notion of value also extends to the materials that compose any particular object. The pieces I have crocheted are either made from silver and plique-a-jour enamel or are discarded steel wire coated with plastic, while works incorporating imagery from found doilies are composed entirely of enamel.  Metal and corresponding techniques generally imply value but the type of metal itself can reduce the perceived worth, especially in an item worn on the body.  However, large and vibrant body adornment, even when constructed from ‘cheap’ materials like plastic, evokes a sense of high fashion, which carries undertones of preciousness by society’s standards.  Like past crocheted objects and adornment, which was once considered high fashion, these pieces can connote high social status and access to material wealth even when made from materials and processes that would be banal on their own.« 

Katie Schutte – Sabellida Motif Collar - Crocheted and powder coated found wire. 2010

« I use crochet as a method for working with metal. The form of this piece was inspired by the bright red tube worms that live in the deepest part of the oceans.« 

Katie Schutte – crocheted brooch 

Katie Schutte -  Clypeasteroida Motif Neckpiece – Crocheted found wire, powder coating. 2010
« ….  These forms are based off of organisms found in the scientific group that includes sea urchins and sand dollars.« 

Katie Schutte – Purple Ring – Crocheted found wire, powder coating, cubic zirconia. 2010

« ... This is one of my first pieces where I am combining just crocheted wire with the bright plastic coloring of  powdercoating« 

Katie Schutte – Wire Ring V – crocheted wire, cubic zirconia

Katie Schutte – ring V – Crocheted and powder coated wire, cubic zirconia.

Katie Schutte – ring

Katie Schutte – blue ring – crocheted, electroformed, and powdercoated found wire, cubic zirconia