We are so happy to announce the winner of the Henry Armero Award for 2023 is Angie Bonilla (aka Angelica Bonilla Fominaya). Angie grew up in the US and Colombia and excelled in her time at Carnegie Mellon. All her work is vastly creative and original. The project that won her the award, “Recuerdos (Memories)” or “Knitting Myself a Home”, leans on her Colombian heritage. Using a computerized knitting machine and drawing on an unlikely combination of art, craft, programming and technology, Angie built herself a fully knit room that evoked her childhood on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. She produced wall hangings, coasters, a chair, a rug and several masks based on a classic folkloric character. See the photos in the gallery below.
In her own words:
“Knitting is an algorithmically complex process that has been extensively studied by computer scientists, mathematicians, designers and engineers. Traditionally, it has served as one of the foundations of society, providing us with footwear, clothing, accessories and equipment. It is a craft associated with labor politics, femininity and traditionalism — yet it is also a craft that we wear on an almost-daily basis. As a craft, it is one of the oldest in existence, rivaled only by weaving. It is an integral part of our history and it contains thematic and computational value that deserves to be explored. ”
