Ein langsamer Pullover

The coexistence of sheep and humans is a story that goes back thousands of years. The use of wool is inextricably linked to the rearing of sheep or other wool-producing animals. In addition to feeding and watering, this includes shearing, healthcare, assisting with births and rearing lambs, as well as flock planning and pasture management. These are ongoing activities; many tasks are repeated daily, monthly or annually. From the sun, earth and water grows plant matter, the basis of the sheep’s livelihood. The sheep itself grows for two years; a flock of sheep could perhaps grow indefinitely. At the end of each annual cycle, the sheep wears a coat of long wool. The growth of the fleece is a miracle that is both invisible and visible. Wool sheep need humans; they must be shorn, otherwise their wool would become a burden. So that we humans can wear garments made from sheep’s wool, we must invest many hours in various textile processing techniques. We can trace this practice back through generations, drawing on a wealth of ancient experience. Many of the tools used are very old, others more recent.
The process of making a woollen jumper involves shearing, sorting, plucking, washing, combing, spinning, twisting and winding. Raw wool is turned into combed wool and finally into yarn. Further creative and preparatory work follows, such as weighing, counting, calculating, drawing and, finally, knitting. The slow jumper takes time. In our world, time is capital. The artists spent many hours working on the slow jumper. Whilst time passes, no other physical action is possible, but they can be with us in spirit and in mind. Their work on the jumper is slow, in the sense of being stress-free, free from control and oppression. Pure textile craftsmanship has fallen out of our world’s capitalist commodity production chain; it is neither efficient nor exploitable from a business perspective. They do it anyway, even though they suspect that a slow jumper can only be a luxury item. The slow processing of wool is liberating; it is a pleasure or an art, and yet it is a defiant creation of value. Sheep farming and wool processing bring them peace, bring them into the present moment and restore their balance. Whilst the slow jumper is taking shape, the fast pace of their lives cannot be kept at bay. They think, feel and process whilst they spin or knit, and the world keeps turning.