As a professional hoarder, repurposing found objects was a natural progression for knitwear artist Ruby Kirby. Originally from Devon, Ruby did a foundation art course in the small town of Totnes before studying BA fashion at Manchester School of Art. During her knitwear MA at Nottingham Trent University she was awarded a Paul Smith scholarship to study in Tokyo for sixth months and has since collaborated with designer Matty Bovan and artist Bruce Asbestos. Now based in Rusholme, Ruby makes sculptural art, often inspired by her body-parts obsession – see her knitted willy dress, nipple earrings and literal hand-bags. Here, Ruby talks about yarn brain, how she got her first freelance commission and why collaboration is everything.

Tell us why you rework a lot of found items.

I much prefer to use materials I’ve already got in the house, like using old belts and ropes for handbag handles. I plan to use skipping ropes next. I think there’s much more character when you combe new materials and found objects. Obviously that makes the pieces more environmentally friendly and I’m also just a huge hoarder anyway. The items I collect always come in handy.

If I’m walking on the street I’ll grab anything from bits of net to rope, and always rifle through skips. Vintage and charity shops, like The Kilo Sale in town and Hope in Stretford, are also great because the clothing is already a bit battered. I take pieces apart and use them differently – it’s all about reinventing pre-loved garments or objects and repurposing their identity. Ark Traders Haberdashery in the city centre is another place you can find loads of treasures; from offcut craft pieces to loads of mad stuff that you can experiment with.

Tell us about your time at Manchester School of Art, how did you land on your very recognisable aesthetic?

My design has always been quite consistent; colourful, exciting and surreal. But as I’ve developed through my education, I made so many connections that have led to collaborations. The most important thing for me is collaborating and making a creative family that you can work with. Then there’s so many opportunities because you’re working with so many different kinds of people.

Do you have a side job to financially support making your knitwear creations?

Aside from my artwork and different collaborative works, I’ve been a part time teaching assistant on the MSoA fashion course for the last two years. Working with students is amazing because you’re inspiring each other and discovering new talent. I also used to work at Blue Rinse, so I’ve got my fingers in many pies. It’s been nice having more time in the house during lockdown doing my own work.

What’s the creative scene like in Manchester?

I couldn’t be happier that I’m based in Manchester. My creative circle is quite big and includes photographers, fashion people, music people - there’s such a huge music scene here and a huge number of creatives. It’s important to surround yourself by creative passionate people who have that ‘get up and go’ vibe because you bounce off each other’s energy. I’ve collaborated with a lot of friends, and I think we always will. You learn so much from other people and gain an understanding all the different disciplines and layers that go into one project. Collaboration is the key to success.

   

Take us through your final BA project.

Welcome To Yarnia was technically my first collection and was my final major project. The title comes from when I’m knitting I get such yarn brain, it’s like knitting into the depths of Yarnia.

I took inspiration from the original Michelin man here, and it’s all knitted pieces in a sculpture. I’m a big lover of sculptural, bulbous shaped extensions of the body.

There is a hand jumper with huge gloves as arms which inspired me to make the hand handbags. The shoes are all leather mouldings made from Veg Tan If you wet it and put over a shape it’ll keep the form, so I’ve done a lot of leather mouldings as well as knit.

The willy dress was made up of lots of different mixed yarns making roughly 18 willies. This was hugely inspired by Louise Bourgeois and one of her outfits that looks like a bulbous bunch of grapes.

The face vest was made with a combination of yarns and ropes that were e-wrapped into monofilament, which is a knitting technique on the knitting machine, this created a robust fabric. It’s exciting creating your own fabric from scratch, though it took a long time. The ass pants are Veg Tan leather moulded on a mannequin bum.

I collaborated with a fellow student and friend 3D designer Math Whitaker who works with a 3D printer on these nipple earrings.

Which artists inspire you most?

Sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle is a Queen and a huge hero of mine. Then there’s Sarah Lucas and Louise Bourgeois. This is one of my old sketchbooks and it’s so hilarious re-reading it. It’s good to be passionate but here I’ve written ‘my hero’ which makes me laugh. I love bonkers, confused silhouettes from sculptors like Ivan Prieto and Oskar Schlemmer.

Do you have any advice for those starting out in design after university?

Take any opportunity you can. My first proper freelance project was after my MA with an artist in Nottingham. It was a paid seven month stint where I worked with the artist and students from Nottingham Trent University doing workshops and creating a collection. That helped me understand how to successfully put together a project from design at the start to the production of the actual show.

This was your Bruce Asbestos collection, talk us through the process.

Nottingham-based artist Bruce Asbestos, the Nottingham Trent students and I worked on the idea of Hansel and Gretel. We were hugely experimental with materials from wire tarpaulin pants to shoes made of bread, which we named loafers. Food was a key material given the breadcrumb part of the fairy-tale; we used candyfloss as a hat, breaded headpieces, spray-painted bagel print pantaloons, a waffle dress and trousers made from marshmallow mix. Its great being a solo artist sometimes, but I think collaborating with so many creative brains is the best thing ever.

Let’s talk more pre lockdown work, take us through your shoe bag.

I bought these shoes from a kilo sale at Blue Rinse and turned them into a bag is another example of my surreal, fun ethos. Crochet, leather and knit are a huge part of my practise and there’s a lot of humour with the shoe bag. I love crochet, it’s so exciting because you can crochet with anything; yarn, cut up t-shirts, denim strips.

I have a whole bag of cowboy boots that I’m going to make into bags, and all the leather I use for the handles are either old belts or material I’ve had lying around forever. I never buy too many new materials, but have got some great ropes from craft shop Fred Aldous recently.

What are people’s reactions when you wear your bags in public?

I love making people do a double take. Even when I’m dressed in what’s normal for me, I’ve had people stop me on public transport and mock me saying, ‘Is it fancy dress day or something’. The guy was obviously being a dickhead, but I just find it amusing. Be what you want to be. It’s all about free thinking, making what you fancy and enjoying the silliness of life.

We’re obsessed with your masks, they’re so covid relevant. You’re a true foreshadower.

I’ve always loved masks and silly balaclavas, so I used knit and multiple yarns to create these masks. They’re based on really old paintings of mine, my style, block colour and shape are still there. I just squiggle down rough drawings and think about different colours I want to be working with. This looks like a strange Pikachu, but the inspiration came from a photo of an old condom machine that’s from an Irish pub in Teignmouth, Devon where I grew up.

There are these strange crazy characters for condoms and I love how it says ‘putting smiles on faces’. The fonts so silly and ridiculous and it’s the not taking yourself too seriously aspect, which I think in this pandemic is quite nice to embrace. We’re all in this together and we’ve just got to take each day as it comes.

Have you ever worn them out?

I haven’t yet because they’re unbelievably hot. I’m definitely going to keep experimenting with ones that just cover the mouth. The last time I properly worked with masks was for a performance piece called Kings with artist Amy Lawrence. I created four balaclavas for the four guys that were in her performance piece. I want to continue with a series called ‘putting smiles on faces’, inspired by the condoms.

Fun seems to be a key theme to your work.

Definitely. This knitted interactive headpiece is inspired by sports day and that Velcro game from our childhood. I always like my pieces to be interactive and multifunctional. It’s just a bit of fun and something me and my boyfriend have been playing with a lot during quarantine. I’d love to do a sports day with my friends but because we can’t, we’re adapting. It could actually work as a bag too, I like thinking how it can be reused for different things, then you don’t end up with loads of stuff you don’t need.

What are some of the other themes in your work?

How can we buy your work?

As traumatic and bizarre as it is, it’s actually allowed me some headspace to pause and really evaluate what I’m wanting in life and why I’m are making things. I’ve had some time to work on wearable clothes and products that I’ll be able to sell.

THREE WORDS THAT DEFINE YOUR AESTHETIC.

• COLOURFUL

• SURREAL

• PLAYFUL

THREE WORDS YOU WANT YOUR WORK TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL.

• HAPPY

• INTRIGUED

• EXCITED

WHAT’S THE SONG YOU BLAST FOR MAX CREATIVITY?

• DONNA SUMMER’S I FEEL LOVE.

PERFECT MIDNIGHT SNACK?

• A SHIN CUP (SPICY NOODLE POT) OR TOAST.

WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST THING IN YOUR BAG AT ALL TIMES?

• I ALWAYS CARRY BLACK PEPPER GRINDER. IT’S WEIRD BUT NOT EVERYWHERE HAS BLACK PEPPER AND PEOPLE DO THANK YOU WHEN THEY’RE IN NEED!

HOW DO YOU TACKLE CREATIVE BLOCK?

• I BLOW THE CREATIVE COBWEBS AWAY ON A RUN.

WHO SHOULD WE BE FOLLOWING ON INSTAGRAM?

• @MADILONGNAME

  SHE’S PART OF DONK CLOTHING.

WHO SHOULD WE BE FOLLOWING FOR LOLS?

• THIS COUNTRY’S DAISY MAY COOPER, OF COURSE.

• AND FOR A CREATIVE LOL, DAVID HENRY NOBODY JUNIOR DOES AMAZING, BIZARRE HAT CREATIONS. ONE OF THEM IS TURNING HIS WHOLE HEAD INTO A HAND USING MINCES MEAT.

FAVOURITE PLACE TO GO IN MANCHESTER?

• PEVERIL OF THE PEAK PUB, JUST OFF OXFORD ROAD.

FAVOURITE ACTIVITIES?

• PLAYING NERF AND CYCLING.

FIVE WORDS TO SUM UP YOUR QUARANTINE LIFE.

• ZOOM

• RU PAUL

• MAKING

• SKIPPING

• TORRO LOCO
  (THE RED WINE FROM ALDI)

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