Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, currently shortlisted for the Paris Photo/Aperture Book Prize, for Holy Bible (MACK 2013), are inviting knitters to craft balaclavas for an exhibition to open in March, in London. Balaclavas? You know, the type of headgear favored by skiers, bank robbers and terrorists. In their words:

 “The focus of the exhibition is a new form of surveillance technology called ‘non-collaborative photography.’ In short this allows the government or privateorganisation to take a 3D image of anyone without their knowledge.

 “It is both intriguing and a very intrusive technology. The walls of the large space will be filled with approximately 2000 portraits we made earlier this year in Russia using this technology.

 Above: Michael Graffenreid, Anti-terrorist Ninjas. Information.

 “As a counterpoint we would like to have a continuous 'knitting circle’ in the centre of the room. In the spirit of the 'Tricoteuse', the nickname given to the women who sat beside the guillotine during public executions in Paris in the French Revolution, who continued to knit in between executions as an act of protest.” More.

This is a chance to participate in an exhibition that bridges serious social investigation with craft and performance, so get out your kitting needles, dig into that yarn basket and tricoter, tricoter, tricoter! Not a knitter? Why not gather up some yarn from fallen-away knitters [everybody knows at least one of these] and send it along for the knitting circle.

Here in New York, there is some history regarding the balaclava ban. A Google search came up with this:

Balaclavas are already outlawed (during protests) in Germany, with France and Greece attempting to ban the item as well. In New York, there is still a law dating from 1845 on the books, when tenant farmers, in response to a lowering of wheat prices, dressed up as “Indians” and covered their faces with masks in order to attack the police anonymously. According to slate.com, there are exceptions for masquerades and other entertainment events that are deemed appropriate by the city (such as Halloween).