Make It Fit: A Manifesto in Knitting | Tingyi Jiang

The experiment Make It Fit - A Manifesto in Knitting explores the tension between individual autonomy and systems through knitting, coding and sound. Tingyi Jiang is developing an eight-hour performance in which hand-knitting, spoken word, singing and machine sounds come together. During the performance, she works with a knitting machine, where pre-programmed instructions collide with chance and personal choices. The knitting machine not only serves as a tool for making textiles, but also becomes a musical instrument. During the performance, a large knitted manifesto with pre-coded text patterns is created: Make It Fit-ism. Human intervention, such as mistakes, resistance or creative choices, creates glitches that disrupt the pattern and reveal the tension between machine precision and human autonomy. This makes the creation of the manifesto a public, collective experience where the audience itself determines how involved they are. After the performance, the knitted manifesto will remain on display as an installation for two weeks.