Swimming Pool Project Space is proud to present Room-a-Loom.

From January 24th to February 21st, the gallery will be converted into a Room-sized Loom. Initiated by Julia Sherman, Room-A-Loom is a site-specific weaving-experiment that considers the architecture of the gallery.

The loom uses the gallery’s walls to turn a room into a simple machine. It spans the width and breadth of the space, and therefore there is no place to enter without becoming part of the planar field of yarn and donated materials.

Throughout the duration of the show, Swimming Pool Project Space holds an open invitation for anyone to bring his/her own materials and learn to weave. This loom is a very simple incarnation of what can be a very complex craft, and anyone can be taught how to weave on the Room-A-Loom in a matter of minutes.

Swimming Pool Project Space has created one rule outside of Julia’s initial plan, and it is made with respect to Chicago’s history of attention to formal craft. The materials you bring to weave at the Swimming Pool Project Space MUST BE BLUE, ANY SHADE OF BLUE... This is to reflect the floor of the Swimming Pool.

There will be a closing reception will be held on Saturday, February 20th from 6-10pm. It will be held underneath the month long experimental weaving which inhabits the space creating an interactive “Fort or tent-like” experience.

If you would like to weave on the Room-A-Loom, contact Liz Nielsen 312.618.9945 or Carolina Wheat or 312.504.2167 to schedule a date/time.

(Past A-Room-A-Looms have been in Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver, Portland and Philadelphia. These looms have generated a curiosity for weaving and empowered the viewer to co-create a large-scale artistic project. Some past materials used have been: Dog fur, weeds from a neighbor’s garden, a blanket from distant travels, bubble wrap, the yellow pages, an ex-girlfriend’s pajamas, John Baldessari’s toilet paper, audio cassette tape, and tons of old clothes.