Vandals Target Knitted Art Display at South Philly’s Singing Fountain
Two vandals cut and removed a “yarn bombing” installation at the Singing Fountain in South Philadelphia. The Drunken Nitwits, a Philadelphia-based social crafting group that created the art installation, reported…
Two vandals cut and removed a "yarn bombing" installation at the Singing Fountain in South Philadelphia. The Drunken Nitwits, a Philadelphia-based social crafting group that created the art installation, reported the vandalism.
In March, the group displayed a collection of handmade fiber art pieces at the fountain along East Passyunk Avenue. The yarn bombing was commissioned by the South Philly Yarn and Craft and designed with permission from the property owners.
Yarn Bombing Installation
The cloth flowers and Philly-themed sports sweaters that covered the fountain's figures disappeared early Saturday morning, April 5. Surveillance footage from nearby businesses shows two women coming up to the fountain around 3 a.m. They are seen snipping the knitted pieces with scissors, and piling the knitting into garbage bags. The pair of vandals appeared to be laughing as they snapped photos before fleeing the scene.
The Philly Voice reported that Allison Covey, organizer of the Philly chapter of Drunken Knitwits, said the group has been "heartbroken" over the vandalism. They have filed a police report. Members of the group are asking the vandals to return the pieces to the steps of the South Philly Yarn and Craft storefront, 1625 S. 11th St., no questions asked.
The group hopes to salvage what they can of the installation before the Flavors on the Avenue street festival takes place on Sunday, April 27. The club has already planned to add food-themed installations to the Singing Fountain for this event.
"It's upsetting to all of us who worked on it, but also the entire community who enjoyed it," South Philly Yarn and Craft wrote on Instagram. "We certainly understand the risks of street art, of course, but we didn't expect this type of malice."
South Philly Yarn and Craft will accept donations for the exhibition until Wednesday, April 23, at 5 p.m. The Craftship, which sells craft kits and provides classes at its 1901 S. Ninth St. location in the Bok Building, will host an open crafting night on Monday, April 14. It invites knitters who want to create a piece for the exhibition to attend.
