FIXTURE: Craft as Performance

FIXTURE: Craft as Performance is a site-specific, craft-based performance calling us all to slow down, break up with our love affair with perfectionism and individualism, and become fixtures in our own communities.

FIXTURE is also me knitting in my front yard.

I began FIXTURE in September 2024 when I took time away from the workplace because lupus and rheumatoid arthritis were, frankly, kicking my ass. The only thing I had the energy to do was to sit in my front yard and reconnect with my favorite craft, knitting.

My front yard quickly became my favorite room in the house. The ritual of pulling out the outdoor furniture pillows, lighting a candle, finding a show to watch or book to listen to, arranging my snacks … they set my mind in the mood for the deep relaxation I needed to begin healing.

Hours spent slathered in sunscreen and covered in an enormous sun hat kept my flare up from getting out of control, but also helped me separate my personal identity from the work-addicted perfectionist that exacerbated my own illnesses. Who was I without email, deadlines, and work priorities? Could I honestly believe that my health was more important than my work? These were/are my struggles.

I let myself daydream. What did I want to become besides healthy? That’s when a new goal emerged. I want to be a fixture. I want to be around for a long time. I want my neighbors to give directions by saying, “take a left at the knitting lady in her garden.”

The ritual is now a performance and a call to inaction, FIXTURE.