By Ingrid Keneally
When Dominique Kaehler Schweizer, psychiatrist and maker of fascinating, terrifically macabre knitted objects, talks about her work, she turns to the topic of recovery and rehabilitation, because, as knitting is a repetitive activity where hands are moving together in harmony, she explains, it ‘helps to synchronize both left and right brain hemispheres. The synchronizing of the brain hemispheres is very important in trauma therapy, because a trauma disconnects the brain hemispheres from other.’
Dominique Kaehler Schweizer of Madame Tricot grew up in Paris. Her father was a journalist and her mother was an influential fashion designer who fronted a weekly French television program show called Le Magazine Féminin where she demonstrated the technique involved in cutting clothing patterns. All the women in her family, Schweizer says, were and are totally involved in sewing, with her as the sole exception. ‘I am the only knitter. I got my talent from … the sky?’ she laughs. Maybe it’s because of this that the gifted textile artist explores knitting in a methodical, almost vivisectory way that defies categorisation. Her work resonates with modern curators who have taken steps to display her installations alongside important museum collections throughout Switzerland. As a viewer, the work can turn the sometimes quaint and cosy art-form of knitting on its head. To witness her work is to experience feelings that range from delight and a state of wonder, through to surprise and alarm. With some sculptures, the more you look, the more they take you in a dark and shocking direction. But, there is always an irony with what she does. And that’s what we love about the remarkably intricate charcuterie and cheese platters and the entire medieval banquet fantasy that has an adorable handmade king sleepy and sated. She manages to find a balance between the darkness and the light.
- How do you work with wool?
I knit 3D objects such as meat, cheese and other edibles.
- What is a pivotal moment in your early career?
When I retired from my medical job as a psychiatrist
- Did anything in your childhood influence what you do now?
I was good in natural sciences and my father really didn’t give me a choice to study anything other than medicine. But fortunately I lived in Paris and had the opportunity to visit many museums and, while pursuing my medical degree, I also took art history courses at Ecole de Louvres.
- What is a professional achievement you are most proud of?
Last year I received a Culture Award of St Gallen for my knitting work.
- Your main feelings on the natural talent you are gifted with
I don’t need any explanations to knit something. I know how to do it and cannot explain why. My grandma introduced me to basic knitting and crochet when I was six years old. But I’m a good observer and I found all the techniques by myself for knitting and crocheting. I am not able to follow a commercial pattern.
- Which artists who work in the wool/textiles field have inspired you?
Louise Bourgeois and Eva Aepli.
- Where would you get most of your work done?
Bus, train, plane, in a restaurant, in front of the television…..
- The KPC Yarn hue that speaks to you and why
I like all the combination of colours from Novomerino: Orange Peel and Parakeet.