Ruth Thomas

ds/concept

DEMOCRATIC STRIPES

New Colour, Old Ideology

This work is based on the first appearance in 60 years of a right-wing party (AfD), and thus a new colour (blue), in the German Bundestag in 2017.

Each stitch corresponds to one seat, each colour to one parliamentary group. The order of the groups (and thus the colours) corresponds to the traditional seating in the Bundestag: The Left, SPD, The Greens, CDU/CSU, FDP, AfD (from left to right).

The number of seats held by the elected AfD representatives determines the height of the two knitworks (94 seats = 94 stitches), symbolising the influence that the far-right party will now have on shaping the political landscape in Germany.

Both works show the 19 parliaments to date (each on the day of the respective federal election). In one, the parliaments are shown in chronological order, while in the other, they are combined and arranged according to the individual groups.

Detached from the political context, the abstract stripe pattern captivates by its strong colourfulness, which is nothing more than the result of the given party colours and the chosen concept.

(Knitted mohair wool, 2 works, each 62 x 34 cm, frames 72 x 52 cm, 2017)

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