The Knitting Pilgrim - Stiched Glass

The Knitting Pilgrim, which has toured across Canada and to Austria, Germany, and the US, is a one-hour, one-man interdisciplinary show, followed by a 30-minute meet and greet.

The audience is welcomed by Kirk Dunn, knitting in front of three large projection screens. He offers to teach them how to knit—on stage are baskets of yarn and needles so they can knit along if they like—as he tells the story of his life as an actor, churchgoer, and knitter, and how, prompted by the tragedy of 9/11, he decided to knit a triptych of tapestries, in the style of stained-glass windows, exploring the commonalities and conflicts of the Abrahamic faiths.

The screens are used for image and video projection, including short bits of dialogue from Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders who add their perspectives to his journey.

At times comedic, at times soulful and spiritual but never preachy, Kirk explores the rise of xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and fear of ‘the other,’ and how social media pours gasoline on the fire.

He talks about the ups and downs of what became a remarkable 15-year journey to complete the tapestries, his doubt in his art, questioning his right to address interfaith issues, and the effect of the pilgrimage on his marriage and family.

As the show ends, Kirk has—in his humble way of making no pronouncements and only asking questions—knitted together the strands of his stories to demonstrate that the Abrahamic faiths have more in common than not, and that they all strive for the same thing: peace.

Kirk pulls down the screens to reveal the magnificent, one-of-a-kind knitted tapestries that need to be seen to be believed. He invites the audience to come close, take a look, and engage in conversation, not just now, but moving forward, with peace and empathy, in their own lives.

Kirk Dunn, an actor, writer and internationally renowned knitter, is fascinated by the many ways in which knitting can bring people together and help them see eye to eye. In this multi-platform world, he uses original, out-of-the-box knitting and his unique perspective in a variety of ways: as visual art to create conversation around interfaith empathy (see his installation, “Stitched Glass”) and homophobia; as the foundation for theatre that uses knitting to tackle anti-Semitism and Islamophobia (book his one-man show, “The Knitting Pilgrim,” or the upcoming WWII play “Spycraft” about a woman who spies on the Nazis by knitting code into ordinary garments); hosts a podcast and digital series to enter into gentle, curious conversation with people of other faiths to understand their point of view (check out “The Knitting Pilgrim Talks” on YouTube or Spotify); designs patterns that feature an artist’s palette of rich colours (see his original patterns available on Ravelry); and gives workshops in improv on the needle, colourwork, and knitting and spirituality, to share the amazing transformation this humble craft can offer individuals and communities. Kirk looks for common ground to knit people together through empathy, understanding and art.

This event will take place in the Cathedral and doors will open at 7pm. if you wish to knit or crochet during the event please do bring your own needles, hooks and yarn just in case we don't have enough on the evening.

Also check out other Arts events in London, Theatre events in London, Workshops in London.