Woolinale was a festival held between March 31st and April 2nd, during the H+H Cologne professional fair period. The organizers made a submission call to all artists who wanted to exhibit in their ample space. There was also a jury that awarded a prize. Artists from Brazil, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, France, Finland, Great Britain, Spain, the United States, Australia, Mexico, and Germany submitted to the call—projects from different places with the same hope, moving emotions from the street.
I was able to attend a talk with the organizers of Woolinale at H+H Cologne, where they explained their idea. It's possible to express a lot with humor, color, and, above all, yarn. Yarnbombing is more than just making yarn graffiti; it's a form of expression in itself. Through traditional crafting methods, artists express society's concerns. It’s an art form, just like painting or sculpture.
The artworks were varied, such as large murals of flowers, kangaroos coved with lace, crochet graffiti, and even a QR code made in the C2C technique. At the fair's gate, there were large butterfly wings made with grannie squares that served as a photo background.
In addition to the festival, a large collaborative mural full of peace symbols was organized. Many people participated by sending handcrafted symbols and other pieces related to the theme.
Every great festival has a contest, a jury, and, of course, a prize. The festival created an award called Wooli, a large golden bomb of yarn with a crochet hook and sparks of creativity. The first prize went to Elena Biancardi, from Switzerland, with a piece called “Homelessness”. To the artist, having a home is a human right. She crocheted a homeless person sleeping on the street.
The organizers, Heike, David, and Elke, have already announced that the second edition will take place in 2025. Until then, yarnbombing will be on the streets.
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