How this once “domestic” activity is being reclaimed and becoming more popular

By CORALIE LOON — arts@theaggie.org

Crocheting, a textile technique that involves using a hook to turn loops of yarn into intricate cloth patterns, has been around for centuries, but thanks to social media, it has had a recent resurgence in popularity. While it is still a gendered craft, the relationship between crocheting and femininity has changed in some important ways. 

According to a Martha Stewart article, Mademoiselle Riego, often referred to as the “Mother of Crochet,” published the first book on Irish crochet in 1846, which inspired a surge in crocheting in Ireland and England before its expansion to America.

With the Industrial Revolution in the mid-19th century, crocheting became a popular hobby as middle and upper-class women had more free time to twiddle their thumbs. Thus, the image of a Victorian housewife busy crocheting garments for her and her children was born. 

Tasks such as quilting, sewing, crocheting or doing needlework have been traditionally tied to domestic conceptions of femininity. The portrait of a woman doing meticulous craftwork is not only prevalent in historical media but intrinsically tied to definitions of femininity that rely on concepts of service, domesticity, delicacy and beauty. 

Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s 1875 painting, “Woman Crocheting,” depicts the soft and romanticized figure of a woman doing exactly what the title suggests — crocheting, but also posing for the man who is theoretically painting her, as if fulfilling his expectations of femininity.

Of course, a lot has changed between then and now. As a Reno News & Review article explains, crochet fell out of popularity with the rise of second-wave feminism, ditched as an old-fashioned, leftover piece of the patriarchy. Women were in the process of rewriting femininity, pushing for new spots in the workplace that had been denied to them for so long, and sitting home and crocheting colorful blankets just seemed to have lost its previous appeal.

Femininity, however, is still being rewritten. As the backlash to the recent M&M redesign, in which the infamous green M&M’s go-go boots were replaced with sneakers, showed us, ditching traditionally “feminine” elements in favor of traditionally “masculine” ones is a feminist tactic that is being questioned, and the mainsteamification of crochet could be an example of this.

Crochet has experienced a spike in popularity since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic: a few YouTube searches or scrolls through TikTok and you will inevitably find a tutorial on how to crochet all sorts of items, from bags to gloves to water bottle holders. Ironically enough, for many, the beginning of lockdown mimicked the historical experience of many middle-class European and American women: stuck at home without a traditional job and a minimal social life. 

Like then, modern crochet trends are deeply intertwined with femininity. The community of crochet-creators (whether selling their products on Etsy, writing crochet patterns or posting video tutorials) is dominated by women who create mostly feminine pieces, seeing as popular crochet clothing sold on Etsy tends to be cropped, bikini-style tops, skirts and the occasional cardigan.

Despite this, the craft holds a much different relationship with femininity than it once did. Male or gender non-conforming crocheters (and customers) break the perception of who can participate in traditionally female activities, and items such as oversized sweaters, bucket hats and beanies are popular in part for their gender neutrality. Most importantly, young people today are exploring the world of crochet not because it is expected of them, but because they enjoy it and because it is a creative form of self-expression that counters the suffocation of participating in a traditional workforce.

It comes as no surprise that younger generations, increasingly well-versed in capitalism’s grip on social attitudes, may find value in art or traditionally “domestic” activities as they question why these activities have been societally undervalued. 

While current crochet trends could benefit from being more gender-inclusive, the practice serves to reclaim and rewrite “femininity” as something that is useful for all genders and all people interested in expanding creative autonomy.

Written by: Coralie Loon — arts@theaggie.org

Remembering the electronic music duo’s biggest hits, and honoring their lesser known but just as groovy tracks 

By ANGIE CUMMINGS — arts@theaggie.org

It has been approximately one year and a week since we lost the world’s most beloved French robot musical duo: Daft Punk. Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, the artists behind the masks, announced the end of their decade-spanning musical career together on Feb. 22, 2021, and as we go into March 2022, their songs have not lost any cultural relevance. 

While the depths of their vast discography might not be well known to everyone, Daft Punk is anything but obscure. The first songs of theirs that come to mind are typically their collaborations with huge names in music over the past 20 years or so, most notably Pharrell, Kanye West and The Weeknd. These include some radio and Billboard hits that we have grown up with and deserve to be revisited again and again. 

Going all the way back to 2001 (were you even born yet?), Daft Punk released a piece of music that arguably rivals Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in its historic levels of auditory perfection and general impact. This song is none other than “Harder Better Faster Stronger,” with a whopping 12 unique words repeated in different orders, tones and speeds. Listening to this song has been known to cause anything from a slight head nod or a shoulder bounce to a full mind-body-and-soul ascension into another dimension. The song builds up, taking twists and turns that never cease to excite and somehow metaphysically scratch that itch at the back of your brain. “Harder Better Faster Stronger” is a perfect song in every way. It is at this point that I must disclose that I personally know next to nothing about the technicalities of music production.

While this almost five minute long loop of a few words may not have affected the vast majority of listeners, it is almost impossible to have not heard the sound before as it was prominently used in Kanye West’s hit “Stronger” (2007). Of course, West is an incredibly controversial figure today, but there is no denying his knack for making music — especially on his critically acclaimed third album, “Graduation,” on which this is one of the top songs. This song solidified Daft Punk’s place in the burgeoning future of genre-transcending music in the 21st century. 

Perhaps the next huge Daft Punk song that was played far past enjoyment on the radio and at school dances was “Get Lucky” featuring Pharell & Nile Rogers (2013). Having almost a decade of respite since that song took over, and revisiting it with fresh ears, there is no wonder why it basically achieved world domination for a while. Pharrell really could not have said it better: We are all in fact “up all night for good fun.” Maybe it is just odd middle school nostalgia, but the groove of this song makes you feel light and airy with a nice sprinkling of swag. 

From the same album as “Get Lucky” came another impeccable song that might not have had the same immense cultural impact, but still seamlessly blended Daft Punk’s genius with the vocals of a big name in music. “Instant Crush,” featuring Julian Casablancas, the lead singer of The Strokes, is one of those songs that you can listen to once, suddenly realize it is almost over and need to replay it just because there is too much goodness in (what feels like) such a short time. As it happens with many Strokes songs, just listening to the sound of Casablancas’ voice makes for a full yet relaxed experience, but choosing to pay attention to the lyrics makes the song cut that much deeper. 

Most recently, Daft Punk returned to the collective consciousness with their features on The Weeknd’s show-stopping singles “I Feel It Coming” and the album’s titular track “Starboy” (2016). Similar to what happened with “Get Lucky” three years earlier, it was incredibly hard to escape the clutches of these singles for most of 2016 and 2017 — and again, this was for good reason. This album marked the beginning of The Weeknd’s distinctly ‘80s and synth-filled R&B style that he has continued to evolve for the past six years, and with Daft Punk’s expertise on all things synth and electronic, these two singles are some of the most delicious-sounding songs to flood our airwaves in a long time. 

Even in their very first album from 1997 there are classics like “Around the World” and “Da Funk” — a lyricless, electronic and funky five and a half minutes of fun. In all honesty, there are countless other Daft Punk songs from the depths of their discography that I could praise for far too long, but the point is Daft Punk has hits worth the hype as well as some equally strong hidden gems. 

After a long year of grieving our loss of any future Daft Punk releases, the duo took to social media on the anniversary of their breakup, which also happened to be the 25th anniversary of their debut album, “Homework” (1997). They posted cryptic messages before re-releasing a new edition of “Homework” as well as posting a special streaming of a concert from 1997 (sans helmets) to their now vacant Twitch account. 

This momentary return begs the question: Will we be lucky enough to hear new Daft Punk creations in the future? Whether or not they return, the world is forever indebted to these French robots for some of the most delectable and fresh mixes, collaborations and original creations. 

Written by: Angie Cummings — arts@theaggie.org

Shows, speaker events, live music and more to check out in Davis this March

By JACOB ANDERSON — arts@theaggie.org

“On the Slant – A Mini-Symposium” (Manetti Shrem Museum, Friday, March 4, 11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.):

This symposium explores the curious fame of a step stool purchased at a thrift store in 1965. William T. Wiley and Bruce Nauman, enamored by the eponymously slanted object, spurred an artistic movement among those who found something beautiful and inexplicable in it, culminating in a 1966 exhibition at San Francisco’s Berkeley Gallery, which brought national notoriety to the stool. The symposium will accompany an exhibition at the museum titled “William T. Wiley and the Slant Step: All on the Line.” If you can’t make it in person, they are also offering a virtual livestream of the event.

“Clouds from a Crumbling Giant” (Wright Hall, March 3 through March 5):

This upcoming collaborative piece between Granada Artist-in-Residence Shinichi Iova-Koga and the UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance promises to be a musical experience that “follows the birth and death of a species, an empire, a universe, a flower,” according to the show’s website. “Time unfolds on stage like a wheel revolving, seeming to follow a path that becomes the snake eating its own tail. Behind the curtain, vibrations emerge to shape the earth, the rocks, the people.” Iova-Koga, the director of the physical theater and dance company inkBoat, fuses elements of Japanese and Chinese stage tradition, from Noh theater to Daoist internal arts, in his works. This new production promises to innovate even further — check it out.

“UC Davis Symphony Orchestra: ‘Pastoral Moods’” (Jackson Hall, Sunday, March 5, 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.):

Come see UC Davis’ orchestra if you’ve got an itch for something classical: Christian Baldini, director and conductor, will be leading our own musicians in Antonín Dvořák’s “Symphony No. 8” and the premiere of Miguel Farías’ “Violin Concerto.” If you haven’t had the opportunity to catch the university’s orchestra yet, this is a fantastic chance to see what the buzz is about.

Bill Smith Lecture: ACLU Staff Attorney Taylor Brown (UC Davis School of Law, Wednesday, March 9, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.):

Taylor Brown, an attorney with the ACLU specializing in LGBTQ matters, will be speaking later this month at the School of Law. Brown fights against discrimination towards transgender people in employment, schools and health care, pushing back against decades of embedded transphobia in America’s public institutions. She has also helped support and defend those living with HIV. Her talk is sure to be interesting, and will also be available online on March 9.

“Tremble Staves” (UC Davis Arboretum, Saturday, March 12, 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.):

UC Davis’ Department of Music will be offering a unique performance on March 12. “Tremble Staves,” a multi-movement work by Raven Chacon, will move between various locations in Davis in a narrative inspired by Navajo creation stories. Numerous instruments will be on display, including dowsing rods, broken mirrors, an amplified fishing rod, an oxygen tank and even water. The performance will be free, so anyone interested in the unique experience will have the opportunity to attend. 

Written by: Jacob Anderson — arts@theaggie.org