Arts & Entertainment

Photographed-in-the-Act "Yarn Bomber" Speaks Out on Cerrito Theater Installation

The "yarn bomber" who calls herself "Streetcolor" and who was photographed adding yarn street art in front of Cerrito Theater replies to those who ask, "Why?"

The "yarn bomber" who was photographed Monday adding colorful yarn art in front of tells Patch why she picked the theater and responds to a reader who asked why she works in this art form.

The yarn bomber, who goes by the nom-de-knitting "Streetcolor" and said she doesn't allow herself to be photographed, was captured on camera by a passing car Monday afternoon as she applied the colorful coverings to two poles and bike rack in front of the historic theater on San Pablo Avenue. (The photos were published that day in our Neighborhood Gallery and on the El Cerrito Patch Facebook page.)

Streetcolor, who declined to reveal her name, said she "lives in the  El Cerrito neighborhood."

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"I intensely love the Cerrito Theater and their hamburgers and I wanted to make a yarnbombed street room in front of the theater," she said in an email to Patch.  "(I have often waited in line hungrily in front of the theater and wanted something to look at)."

"I have been knitting it up for about 3 months," she said. "I have yarnbombed all over Berkeley and Oakland and have a large installation up at The Oakland Museum right now but this is the first time I have gotten to yarnbomb El Cerrito."

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Photos of her yarn-bombed BART seats were published by Patch in June. Her blog also has many photos of her work.

"Yarnbombing is a very kind form of graffiti, and like all streetart is free and there to make our streets ours," she said.

Reader Karen Stout asked in a comment on the El Cerrito Patch Facebook page, "Why yarn bomber? Why do we do this? It is prettier but makes no sense."

Asked if she would like to respond, Streetcolor replied, "The why yarnbomb – it makes no sense. I often feel that way too. But street art and yarnbombing is about putting art in unexpected places; it's art for free and for pleasure instead of art for prestige and stature. It does make the street prettier too."

The photos of Streetcolor in action came about as Patch contributor Betty Buginas was driving home in heavy holiday traffic at about 4:30 p.m. Monday when she spotted the yarn bomber at work in front of the theater. Bumper-to-bumper traffic and lack of parking prevented her from pulling over, but she slipped her camera from her pocket and handed it to her adult daughter, Kristen Buginas, who was in the passenger seat and quickly captured two frames, which are being republished with this article.

Streetcolor acknowledged that it wasn't a stealth operation. "People waved and yelled, 'Thank you," as they drove by," she said.


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