UPPER WEST SIDE — An artist is taking over a local art museum with a live installation that will create a simulated knitting factory in the lobby this weekend.
For the finale of her "KNITTING NATION" series — which launched in 2005 on Governor's Island and has traveled to 14 different locations in the years since — Liz Collins and six other artists will transform the lobby of the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) at Columbus Circle Sunday.
Collins and the weavers will use knitting machines set up in the lobby from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to create a giant textile that will wind its way up the stairs of the museum.
"This performance is special because it has long been a dream of mine to do a KNITTING NATION at MAD, and a recent dream to weave the staircase, thereby engaging with site-specific architecture in such a direct and integrated manner," Collins said in a statement.
The live performance-art piece is intended to call attention to the interaction of people and machines, as well as to comment on global manufacturing practices. But there's no spoken element and no political message viewers should take away from the experience, Collins has said.
In the early days of her career, Collins created her own line of knitwear that was worn by celebrities and sold at Barneys. But she abandoned the line and returned to art school, studying textiles and receiving a masters at the Rhode Island School of Design.
With the debut of "KNITTING FACTORY" in 2005, Collins found her way into performance art. The MAD performance marks the 15th and last in a series that has spanned 11 years, she noted.
In addition to watching the effort that goes into the creation of a large textile, visitors can also check out a craft workshop the museum is hosting.
The Sunday Studio workshop will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., is free with museum admission and is open to anyone older than 6. During the workshop, attendees can make their own textile with yarn, as well as learn the basics of needlepoint and weaving.
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