A MYSTERY knitter known as Jersey’s ‘Woollen Banksy’ has struck again – this time with her response to Durrell’s Tortoise Takeover.
A new postbox topper has been spotted outside the Coop at Red Houses in St Brelade and features some usual suspects from the trail of 50 giant tortoise sculptures and 65 smaller ones which has been in place since the beginning of July.
Islanders who look closely might see detailed woollen replicas of Berry Good Tortoise, Not Fast Food, Dodo Tortoise, Forget Me Not, It’s A Rave Dave, Terrace Tortoise, Eco Ninja, as well as the hare sculpture Love To Run.
Speaking to the JEP, the artist – who wishes to remain anonymous – said: ‘I started doing the Tortoise Takeover, collecting the tortoises with my grandchildren, before the summer holidays. We were all enjoying it so much I started thinking could I make mini replicas of some of the tortoises we had collected and photographed?’
She added: ‘The other inspiration behind this particular topper is that it is exclusive to Jersey, which makes it more special. Being a Jersey-born girl, I am always very excited about special events such as this.’
While the hare – based on a two-metre tall sculpture that is part of the trail – is the centrepiece of the topper, the artist had already started knitting the tortoises when the sculpture arrived in Jersey.
‘This then gave me a new inspiration to create the hare in the middle of the tortoises,’ she explained.
Each tortoise and the hare, she added, took two to three evenings of work, which means the piece has taken about a month to create.
Woollen Banksy said: ‘By making this tortoise topper, I feel I have hopefully brought a smile to people’s faces, as all the statue tortoises are bringing a smile to my face and thousands of other people’s faces. It is such a wonderful thing for the Island – for locals and holidaymakers alike.’
