Matan Shamai
The First Sweater | 2018
A piece I wrote at the end of the second year of my degree:
"I started studying at Bezalel two years ago, and my personal feeling during those two years is that I'm endlessly learning. Everything I do feels like mere attempts, all the tools I've made are just sketches, unsuccessful attempts. I'm in this dissonance between acceptance and understanding of the process I'm in, versus a lack of confidence in the outcomes.
Last week, a good friend, who is a great inspiration to me, Zohar Ben Simon, finished her fashion design degree at Shenkar. Her final project is called ‘A Place for Mistakes’, and discusses attempts, successes, and failures.
Accepting the imperfect isn't natural for me, but slowly I'm reconciling with who I am in all aspects. What's braver than sharing the first sweater I knitted from leftover yarn, full of flaws and experimental elements that make it the unique sweater it is?"
The Second Sweater | 2020
I don't like to plan things.
When I started knitting this sweater, I knew I'd knit a sweater from the leftover yarn I had, inspired by the first sweater. I had no idea how it would turn out in the end; I didn't plan its proportions, length, or finish. I just started knitting, unraveled, and knitted again, using the knowledge I had already gained from the first sweater. For each row, I decided on a pattern and colors from what I had, without any planning. And I enjoyed it.
In the beginning, when there's no form, the end remains unknown, and along the way, I decided how to do things, mostly through my spontaneity and intuition.
Planning is sometimes important and helps us stay focused on the path, but sometimes it's fun to just get lost and reach unplanned places by following our gut.