“The Blanket” is a long-term project where Capucine Bourcart knits a live-size plastic blanket using the common and iconic white plastic bag with red “Thank You” lettering. She has been doing this since March 2020 when New York State banned plastic bags. A performance underlining how difficult it can be to change our habits. By creating an object that resembles a blanket, which traditionally offers comfort, she reveals her own struggle to stop using plastic bags in her daily life. An overwhelming number of plastic bags have been collected from Bourcart’s local supermarket. Every stitch is a reminder of our consumerist culture. Each loop represents our insatiable appetite for consumption to validate our sense of self-worth. Bourcart keeps stitching, akin to writing about the inherent selfishness that permeates our society driven by individualistic desires.
Now the blanket is 17 feet long and Bourcart has used approximately 500 plastic bags. The question is how long will the blanket be once she uses up all the plastic bags she has hoarded? This uncertainty keeps Bourcart knitting, much like writing lines without an end.
Learn More www.capucinebourcart.com
Bourcart has been living in the United States since 2006, after growing up in France.
In her current multidisciplinary work with textiles, Bourcart uses unconventional materials such as cat fur, lint, plastic bags and soil and elevates them into 2D and 3D objects, installations, and performances. She converts these materials through techniques such as knitting, felting or embroidery.
Bourcart's work has been exhibited internationally in numerous galleries and art venues in the US as well as in Europe. Bourcart was invited to participate in several art fairs including Art on Paper and Art Wynwood. She won the Paula Rhodes Memorial Award for exceptional achievement in Fine Arts, School of Visual Arts in 2023. She was also awarded numerous grants such as Lower Manhattan Cultural Council grants, Uniqlo Park Expressions grant, and The Puffin Foundation grant. Currently, Bourcart has a MFA from the School of Visual Arts.