Keren Shiker: Master of everyday creativity

Have you ever had this strange feeling when you looked at something that someone else created and thought – it looks so simple, why had not I come up with this idea before? It happened to me quite a few times. I saw jewellery that I could make at home with my own hands or a crafty decoration. Most recently I had the feeling when I saw Socks Carpet created by Keren Shiker from TelAviv, Israel. I thought: that's so simple! These are socks everyone can have and she JUSTput them altogether. Socks Carpet is as simple as the socks we wear every day but as impressive as a very complicated piece of art. I appreciate designer’s idea. “I am driven by the desire to bring my creativity into practical and exciting products and spaces” - she says. It is amazing to see an artist working with simple objects of everyday use and making extraordinary things out of them.

The Socks Carpet is not the only one that surprises among Keren Shiker’s work – some of them you can see on her website. Among her works are shirts carpet and pillow or umbrellight (“The idea was born on a cold rainy winter day. I decided to take the umbrella - which uses to protect us from the rain on cold days - and emphasise it in a humorous way by turning it to a light fixture - so the umbrella now also gives intimacy and warmth.”). I love arty things that you can use every day.

Keren's work shows also that creativity belongs to everyone. You don't have to be selling your work for thousands of pounds to call yourself an artist. More zeroes on the cheque don't add you creativity. It is what you do everyday that counts. To repeat after Keren: “The home environment can supply great raw materials, just open your eyes and look around you! (…) You can turn a pile of socks in to a worm fuzzy carpet or your silverware can become a decorative plate! Actually, by obsessive repeating of one item I can create a unique new artifact. (…) my goal is to use my creativity to make useful and practical design that would bring fresh and unique decorative look to your home or work environment”.
Why not create something new from the things you already own? Think what you are in need of and what you can make it from. Then go ahead and try.

 

 

Pictures by the courtesy of the designer