Set (detail), 2022
Set (detail), 2022

12"w x 43"h x 6"d, Yarn and cardstock

Set
Set

2022, 12"w x 43"h x 6"d, Yarn and cardstock

Each strand in this piece constitutes one of the 430 definitions for the word "set", translated into Morse code and knit where one row=one letter.

This Is / Is This a City Artist Talk
This Is / Is This a City (WIP; continuing project)
This Is / Is This a City (WIP; continuing project)

Commissioned artwork for Portland Textile Month’s TextileX New Traditions Festival. Participate in the ongoing project and read more here.

Weighted Blanket (2019)
Weighted Blanket (2019)

21”w x 26 1/4”h
Yarn

This work is a compilation of responses from mothers and mothers-to-be to the questions “What do you want most for your child?” and “What are you most afraid of for your child?” knit into a baby blanket using Morse code. Read the full transcript here.

In a Word (installation view), 2018
In a Word (installation view), 2018

2018, installation view

This is a site-specific installation for CulturalDC’s Mobile Art Gallery. Read more about the project. Photo: EshVion

In a Word (installation view)
In a Word (installation view)

2018, installation view

This is a site-specific installation for CulturalDC’s Mobile Art Gallery. Read more about the project. Photo: EshVion

Be the One to (detail)
Be the One to (detail)

This collaborative fiber art project was organized to raise awareness for and share resources around suicide prevention. Learn more on the Stitches for Suicide Prevention project page.

This Is a Map (detail)
This Is a Map (detail)

2018, 12’w x 8’h, yarn

This is a site-specific installation for the Torpedo Factory Art Center. Learn more about the project

This Is a Map
This Is a Map

2018, 12’w x 8’h, yarn

This is a site-specific installation for the Torpedo Factory Art Center. Read more about the project.

Mandala (detail)
Mandala (detail)

2018, 12"h x 12"w, Yarn

This work is a series of synonyms for the words "begin" and "end" translated into Morse code and knit where one stitch = one beat and one row = one letter. The piece is knit using waste yarn from former projects.

Mandala
Mandala

2018, 12"h x 12"w, Yarn

This work is a series of synonyms for the words "begin" and "end" translated into Morse code and knit where one stitch = one beat and one row = one letter. The piece is knit using waste yarn from former projects.

Refuge (2017) detail
Refuge (2017) detail

Photo: Laura Hoffman

Refuge (2017)
Refuge (2017)

16"w x 39"h
Yarn, graph paper

This work is one sentence from a 1941 speech by FDR—"The advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people"—knit in Morse code in English (blue), Somali (red), French (rep. the Democratic Republic of the Congo; gray), and Arabic (rep. Syria; green). These three additional languages represent the top three nations from which refugees arrived in the US in FY17. Photo: Laura Hoffman

Amy Wike: This is a sentence

Video walk-through of This is a Sentence exhibition in the Common Ground Gallery at VisArts (October 19 – November 20, 2016).

Touch
Touch

2016, 90"h x 12"w x 36"d, yarn

Using the root word "touch," each strand is a synonym or variation on that word translated into Morse Code, where each row = one letter. Visitors are invited to walk through the work, and may end up encountering the word they are thinking as they feel the strands; they may think "this just smacked me in the face" as they touch the strand 'smack,' or "that just grazed me" as they encounter the strand 'graze.'

My name is
My name is

2015, 32"h x 12"w, Yarn, graph paper

This work comprises the phrase "My name is" translated into Morse code in the 50 most widely spoken languages, where one stitch = one beat and one vertical row = one language.

Portrait of 2015
Portrait of 2015

2016, 32"h x 33"w x 4"d (between 5-9" each), Yarn

Each ball in this piece represents the chorus of one of the eight singles that topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2015, where one row = one letter.  Photo: Carla Schaffer
 

Portrait of 2015 (detail)
Portrait of 2015 (detail)

2016, 32"h x 33"w x 4"d (between 5-9" each), Yarn

Each ball in this piece represents the chorus of one of the eight singles that topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2015, where one row = one letter. Photo: Carla Schaffer

Boomerang (2016)
Boomerang (2016)

47"h x 39"w
Yarn, graph paper

This piece is a transcript of the 10-minute video Boomerang (1974) by Richard Serra and Nancy Holt, translated into Morse code where two colors are used to represent the sound and silent pulses. In the original video, Holt attempts to describe her experience as the words she is speaking are fed back to her through headphones with a one-second delay. Photo: Carla Schaffer

Boomerang (2016) detail
Boomerang (2016) detail

Photo: Carla Schaffer

Coffee
Coffee

2016, 11 1/2"h x 16"w, Yarn, graph paper

This work comprises the word "coffee" translated into Morse code in the 50 most widely spoken languages, where one stitch = one beat and one vertical row = one language. Photo: Carla Schaffer

Look (detail)
Look (detail)

2016, 32"h x 63"w overall, Yarn, graph paper


Each of the three components in this piece is the same script—a series of synonyms for the word "look"—translated into Morse code and knit using three separate methods.
 

Look
Look

2016, 32"h x 63"w overall, Yarn, graph paper


Each of the three components in this piece is the same script—a series of synonyms for the word "look"—translated into Morse code and knit using three separate methods.
 

Antonyms
Antonyms

2014, 18 1/2"h x 32"w (approx. 16"w each), Yarn, graph paper


In this two-piece work, my partner and I were provided the same list of words and asked to write what we perceived to be the antonyms. The resulting side by side view of our responses visually represents how our answers differ, emphasizing the subjectivity of language.

Family Speak
Family Speak

2014, Displayed: approx. 50"h x 22"w. Full length: 68 1/2"h x 6"w, Yarn, graph paper

This work is a string of phrases that hold a unique meaning within my nuclear family. Phrases like "frim fram and frickle fry" or "kout the road," while formed from English words, might still be unrecognizable to English speakers outside of the Wike household.

Universal Symbols
Universal Symbols

2014, 65"h x 6"w, Yarn, graph paper

This work is a series of universal symbols, described in text and translated into Morse code where one stitch = one beat and one row = one sentence. While the content of this piece revolves around symbols we consider to be understandable in any language, the work resulting from this process is illegible and unidentifiable in any language.

Homonyms
Homonyms

2014, 10 1/2"h x 27"w, Yarn, graph paper

This piece is a series of homonyms translated into Morse code and knit side by side using two different pattern methods to signify the word’s two separate meanings. One stitch = one beat and one row = a pair of homonyms (ex : "mug, mug," "magazine, magazine")

Homophones
Homophones

2014, 12"h x 34"w, Yarn, graph paper


This piece is a series of homophones translated into Morse code and knit side by side, one to the left of the black bar and one to the right, indicating the visual differences that we do not audibly perceive (ex : "raise, raze," "bear, bare").

Idioms
Idioms

2014, approx. 20"h x 37"w. Full length: 7"h x 63"w, Yarn, graph paper

This piece is a list of English language idioms translated into Morse code and strung together in a continuous line, where one stitch = one beat and one row = one letter. Turns of phrase such as "kick the bucket," "in a new york minute," "it's all greek to me," and "beating around the bush," are included.

Set (detail), 2022
Set
This Is / Is This a City Artist Talk
This Is / Is This a City (WIP; continuing project)
Weighted Blanket (2019)
In a Word (installation view), 2018
In a Word (installation view)
Be the One to (detail)
This Is a Map (detail)
This Is a Map
Mandala (detail)
Mandala
Refuge (2017) detail
Refuge (2017)
Amy Wike: This is a sentence
Touch
My name is
Portrait of 2015
Portrait of 2015 (detail)
Boomerang (2016)
Boomerang (2016) detail
Coffee
Look (detail)
Look
Antonyms
Family Speak
Universal Symbols
Homonyms
Homophones
Idioms
Set (detail), 2022

12"w x 43"h x 6"d, Yarn and cardstock

Set

2022, 12"w x 43"h x 6"d, Yarn and cardstock

Each strand in this piece constitutes one of the 430 definitions for the word "set", translated into Morse code and knit where one row=one letter.

This Is / Is This a City Artist Talk
This Is / Is This a City (WIP; continuing project)

Commissioned artwork for Portland Textile Month’s TextileX New Traditions Festival. Participate in the ongoing project and read more here.

Weighted Blanket (2019)

21”w x 26 1/4”h
Yarn

This work is a compilation of responses from mothers and mothers-to-be to the questions “What do you want most for your child?” and “What are you most afraid of for your child?” knit into a baby blanket using Morse code. Read the full transcript here.

In a Word (installation view), 2018

2018, installation view

This is a site-specific installation for CulturalDC’s Mobile Art Gallery. Read more about the project. Photo: EshVion

In a Word (installation view)

2018, installation view

This is a site-specific installation for CulturalDC’s Mobile Art Gallery. Read more about the project. Photo: EshVion

Be the One to (detail)

This collaborative fiber art project was organized to raise awareness for and share resources around suicide prevention. Learn more on the Stitches for Suicide Prevention project page.

This Is a Map (detail)

2018, 12’w x 8’h, yarn

This is a site-specific installation for the Torpedo Factory Art Center. Learn more about the project

This Is a Map

2018, 12’w x 8’h, yarn

This is a site-specific installation for the Torpedo Factory Art Center. Read more about the project.

Mandala (detail)

2018, 12"h x 12"w, Yarn

This work is a series of synonyms for the words "begin" and "end" translated into Morse code and knit where one stitch = one beat and one row = one letter. The piece is knit using waste yarn from former projects.

Mandala

2018, 12"h x 12"w, Yarn

This work is a series of synonyms for the words "begin" and "end" translated into Morse code and knit where one stitch = one beat and one row = one letter. The piece is knit using waste yarn from former projects.

Refuge (2017) detail

Photo: Laura Hoffman

Refuge (2017)

16"w x 39"h
Yarn, graph paper

This work is one sentence from a 1941 speech by FDR—"The advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people"—knit in Morse code in English (blue), Somali (red), French (rep. the Democratic Republic of the Congo; gray), and Arabic (rep. Syria; green). These three additional languages represent the top three nations from which refugees arrived in the US in FY17. Photo: Laura Hoffman

Amy Wike: This is a sentence

Video walk-through of This is a Sentence exhibition in the Common Ground Gallery at VisArts (October 19 – November 20, 2016).

Touch

2016, 90"h x 12"w x 36"d, yarn

Using the root word "touch," each strand is a synonym or variation on that word translated into Morse Code, where each row = one letter. Visitors are invited to walk through the work, and may end up encountering the word they are thinking as they feel the strands; they may think "this just smacked me in the face" as they touch the strand 'smack,' or "that just grazed me" as they encounter the strand 'graze.'

My name is

2015, 32"h x 12"w, Yarn, graph paper

This work comprises the phrase "My name is" translated into Morse code in the 50 most widely spoken languages, where one stitch = one beat and one vertical row = one language.

Portrait of 2015

2016, 32"h x 33"w x 4"d (between 5-9" each), Yarn

Each ball in this piece represents the chorus of one of the eight singles that topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2015, where one row = one letter.  Photo: Carla Schaffer
 

Portrait of 2015 (detail)

2016, 32"h x 33"w x 4"d (between 5-9" each), Yarn

Each ball in this piece represents the chorus of one of the eight singles that topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2015, where one row = one letter. Photo: Carla Schaffer

Boomerang (2016)

47"h x 39"w
Yarn, graph paper

This piece is a transcript of the 10-minute video Boomerang (1974) by Richard Serra and Nancy Holt, translated into Morse code where two colors are used to represent the sound and silent pulses. In the original video, Holt attempts to describe her experience as the words she is speaking are fed back to her through headphones with a one-second delay. Photo: Carla Schaffer

Boomerang (2016) detail

Photo: Carla Schaffer

Coffee

2016, 11 1/2"h x 16"w, Yarn, graph paper

This work comprises the word "coffee" translated into Morse code in the 50 most widely spoken languages, where one stitch = one beat and one vertical row = one language. Photo: Carla Schaffer

Look (detail)

2016, 32"h x 63"w overall, Yarn, graph paper


Each of the three components in this piece is the same script—a series of synonyms for the word "look"—translated into Morse code and knit using three separate methods.
 

Look

2016, 32"h x 63"w overall, Yarn, graph paper


Each of the three components in this piece is the same script—a series of synonyms for the word "look"—translated into Morse code and knit using three separate methods.
 

Antonyms

2014, 18 1/2"h x 32"w (approx. 16"w each), Yarn, graph paper


In this two-piece work, my partner and I were provided the same list of words and asked to write what we perceived to be the antonyms. The resulting side by side view of our responses visually represents how our answers differ, emphasizing the subjectivity of language.

Family Speak

2014, Displayed: approx. 50"h x 22"w. Full length: 68 1/2"h x 6"w, Yarn, graph paper

This work is a string of phrases that hold a unique meaning within my nuclear family. Phrases like "frim fram and frickle fry" or "kout the road," while formed from English words, might still be unrecognizable to English speakers outside of the Wike household.

Universal Symbols

2014, 65"h x 6"w, Yarn, graph paper

This work is a series of universal symbols, described in text and translated into Morse code where one stitch = one beat and one row = one sentence. While the content of this piece revolves around symbols we consider to be understandable in any language, the work resulting from this process is illegible and unidentifiable in any language.

Homonyms

2014, 10 1/2"h x 27"w, Yarn, graph paper

This piece is a series of homonyms translated into Morse code and knit side by side using two different pattern methods to signify the word’s two separate meanings. One stitch = one beat and one row = a pair of homonyms (ex : "mug, mug," "magazine, magazine")

Homophones

2014, 12"h x 34"w, Yarn, graph paper


This piece is a series of homophones translated into Morse code and knit side by side, one to the left of the black bar and one to the right, indicating the visual differences that we do not audibly perceive (ex : "raise, raze," "bear, bare").

Idioms

2014, approx. 20"h x 37"w. Full length: 7"h x 63"w, Yarn, graph paper

This piece is a list of English language idioms translated into Morse code and strung together in a continuous line, where one stitch = one beat and one row = one letter. Turns of phrase such as "kick the bucket," "in a new york minute," "it's all greek to me," and "beating around the bush," are included.

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