Inside Erwan Bouroullec's Risk Knit

Interweaving coding, art and textiles, Risk Knit incorporates Erwan’s lifelong fascination with map making and his exploratory practice.

Get to know Erwan Bouroullec’s creative practice and production of these beautiful knits, made in collaboration with leaders of quality contemporary textiles, Kvadrat Febrik, exclusively with Wrong Shop.

Interweaving coding and art, the work incorporates Erwan’s lifelong fascination with map making. The patterns are generated from layers and codes from geographic maps, knitted in pure wool and each has a distinctly tactile individuality.

Code, knits, maps and the unexpected.
Coding is a way of building the unexpected.
The rules are set, but not the gesture.

“I have always been fascinated by maps. Somehow you could read them as some of the first abstract pictures. It’s very interesting to see their evolution, see the world expanding, both by adding more lands, then by getting into definition from abstraction.” – Erwan Bouroullec

The collection was first previewed at 3daysofdesign 2022 in Copenhagen, but had been in development for several years through the coronavirus pandemic, of which Erwan shares: “The Covid period did trigger my desire for this conceptual making, while giving it a very warm and soft presence.”

Risk Knit on display in Copenhagen at 3daysofdesign 2022

“Knitting is the magic printer”, the artist states, explaining that knitted textures can be seen as the roots of computing: loops of yarn interlinking from one continuous thread, creating a sturdy and flexible interface. A limited number of tones is used to create a three-dimensionality.

“So this code is kind of like building a map, the different patterns are actually some surfaces fighting and collaborating with the other ones, their masses interlock.” – Erwan Bouroullec

Each piece has a divergent personality, and a life of its own. The patterns and dimensions are defined for production, but once installed (on brackets designed specifically by the artist) the fabric will subtly change over time. Its construction in natural material produces subtle variations. Made in Germany from 100% wool, chosen due to it being a renewable and biodegradable resource. Wool absorbs and gives off humidity, so the textile may lengthen depending on temperature and how it is handled. This evolution is part of the artwork’s lifecycle and centric to Erwan Bouroullec’s conceptual thinking around “code, knits, maps and the unexpected”.

To mount the knits on the wall, Erwan has specifically designed minimal oak brackets. Each Risk Knit is produced in an edition of 100 units comes with a signed and numbered certificate of provenance from Erwan Bouroullec.

A unique chance to acquire one of the artist’s emblematic, geometric works, shop them today. Shop them here.