Sadaf Momeny Interview

Next artists participating in Plush You this year is Sadaf Momeny. To be honest, I couldn't find much on the internet about her so think of this as your possible first sneak peak into the wonderful world of Sadaf Momeny. Enjoy!

S- You mentioned you are a grad student in Wellington. How does school help you foster your craft these days or doesn't it?

SM- I think in some ways it really helps being a student, mostly because I can steer my urge to procrastinate in a productive way! I should be devoting all fruitful hours to my philosophy masters thesis, but when I can't bear to sit in front of the computer for another moment I can always work on my crochet creations (I hope my supervisor doesn't see this..). I also did some tutoring for the introduction to philosophy of art classes and they helped reconnect me with some of the fundamental questions regarding art, what it is, what value it holds, what the difference might be between art and craft; these sorts of questions help inform my work to some extent.



S- Your crochet creatures have so much personality. How long does it take to make each piece? What do you like most about crochet?

SM- Oh thanks! Time varies with each piece and I tend to lose all track of it when I am working on them anyway - mainly because I always crochet while watching movies or listening to the radio, and I enjoy the process so much I don't notice how long it all takes. Though some trickier shapes do take longer for me to suss out than others, I made a Marlin for a friend and that took ages! I started out working with fabric or felt wool but once I started to play around with crochet I couldn't go back, I like the way the creation sort of unfolds as you are working. There aren't too many rules to the craft, I enjoy the freedom in that.



S- Do you have any plans for the summer?

SM- Well, summer seems a long way off for those of us suffering through a particularly chilly New Zealand winter (I can vaguely remember those warm carefree days). But I am making the effort to take winter road trips, in fact I just got back from a long weekend in the Coromandel (in the north of the North Island, NZ) and it was wonderful, fireplaces are a must!



S- What is your process for creating new creatures?

SM- I get a lot of my inspiration from seeing the amazing work other people create, sometimes crochet but mostly from other medium. I keep a scrap book with pictures of all the cool bits and pieces I see and when I need a kick in the pants I flick through it to get me going. I also have a lot of creative people around me and they always have suggestions (some good, others crazy). Once I have an idea it's just a matter of drawing it out, finding the colours, sitting down on the couch under a blanket and crocheting like mad.