Is it possible to make crochet patterns on fragile and brittle fallen dry leaves? Common sense says, “No way!”, simply because puncturing the brittle surface will either put a gaping hole in the leaf or crumble it. But, here’s a crochet artist, Susanna Bauer, whose leaf work is something to be seen to be believed. And it’s not only the leaves that she uses in her crochet art but ephemeral natural things, such as stones, wood pieces and the like.
With a fine balance of fragility and strength, Bauer expresses through her works what’s universal and enduring in the natural world. It’s a treat to watch her construct her skillful crochet art on a fragile leaf or a piece of wood. She states on her website, “There’s a fine balance in my work between fragility and strength; literally, when it comes to pulling a fine thread through a brittle leaf or thin dry piece of wood, but also in a wider context – the tenderness and tension in human connections, the transient yet enduring beauty of nature that can be found in the smallest detail, vulnerability and resilience that could be transferred to nature as a whole or the stories of individual beings.”
Bauer’s range of designs includes masterful creation of crocheted halo on the leaf or finely constructed 3D shapes on entire branches. She uses crochet both as embellishments or in more unconventional ways. All this work is no easy task, considering the intense focus it requires. Little wonder each transformed leaf or piece of wood becomes an incredible miniature sculpture.
Bauer, born in Bavaria, Germany, chose to settle in England. Presently, she’s based in Cornwall, England. Le Salon Vert at VOLTA Basel, Switzerland, is currently hosting her free-standing and framed sculptures. She enjoys a viewership of 72,000 on Instagram alone.
Susanna Bauer: Website | Instagram | Facebook
