From sardine tins to sequinned prawns, Brighton-based knitting and crochet artist Kate Jenkins takes inspiration from traditional seafood culture.
Words: Susie Atkinson | Photography Alun Callender
Step inside Kate Jenkins’ Brighton studio and you’re greeted not by skeins of wool in orderly baskets but by a fish counter glistening with knitted sardines, crocheted prawns and beaded caviar on ice. It takes a moment to realise that you are not, in fact, in a fishmonger’s.
‘I love that moment when people do a double-take,’ Kate laughs. ‘They look, they lean in – and then they realise it’s all made of yarn.’
It’s this perfect blend of skill and humour that makes the artist’s work so original and beloved. Her crocheted depictions of food – from traditional fish and chips, mussels and octopus, to tins of sardines – have been shown from Hong Kong to New York and are collected by galleries, cruise ships and celebrity clients. And underpinning much of it, from subject matter to mood, is the seafood we associate with a trip to the beach.
Edible Icons
Kate fell in love with the sea when she moved from south Wales to Brighton at 19 to study fashion textiles at university. ‘I still feel that thrill every time I see the horizon,’ she says. ‘My studio is only five minutes from the beach. I take my dachshund, Dilys, down for walks most mornings – it’s where I clear my head and get ideas. Sometimes it’s calming, sometimes bracing, but it always feeds my work.’
Her earliest coastal memories are tied to food as much as scenery. ‘Brighton’s no longer a busy fishing port, but there’s fish and chips, cockles, whelks – that traditional seaside food culture. I love the way it connects people instantly to a place. This is a great source of inspiration for me.’
That fascination with edible icons eventually fused with her lifelong love of knitting and crochet. ‘My mum and nan were both prolific makers – embroidery, crochet, knitting – so I learned early. At university, I discovered how immediate knitting could be. You think of an idea and within hours, it’s coming to fruition.’
After a successful early career as a freelance knitwear designer, Kate found herself wanting more than the endless cycles of fashion so, in 2006, she shifted her focus to art, beginning with a knitted fried breakfast. ‘I was supposed to be luring people into my studio to buy accessories. Instead, I got hooked on making plates of food,’ she recalls. She adds, ‘From there, it just snowballed – fish and chips, sardines, lobsters, oysters and traditional ice-cream cones, too. The humour and nostalgia seemed to click with people.’
The Lure of the Sea
Of all the subjects Kate tackles, seafood has become her signature. ‘I’m obsessed with sardine tins,’ she admits. ‘They’re such a simple object, but the designs are endless. I’ve done tinned fish clutching cones of chips – even a tin of French sardine sailors wearing berets after finding a tin on my travels. It’s about taking something familiar and twisting it with humour.’
Her large-scale fish counter installation – complete with knitted mackerel, sequinned prawns and crocheted lobsters displayed on recycled fish boxes – has drawn gasps from London to Monte Carlo. ‘People always want to touch it,’ she says. ‘It makes them smile – and that’s exactly what I want my work to do.’
Even when she’s not making literal seafood, the coast is an important part of her creative process. She sketches ideas while walking along the Brighton seafront and collects decorations and beads from her travels that remind her of shells, roe or seaweed.
Crochet on a Cruise
One of Kate’s longest-running collaborations has been with Viking Cruises. Back in 2007, she was approached by an art buyer who was seeking works to display in the World Cafe on a new Viking ship. ‘They wanted pieces that reflected Scandinavian seafood traditions – prawns, herring, open sandwiches. It was a perfect match.’
Today, her crocheted seafood can be found on around eight Viking cruise ships, decorating their dining spaces. ‘It’s been amazing,’ says Kate. ‘People see my work while travelling and then contact me afterwards for private commissions.’
She has even joined cruises as a guest artist, creating new pieces inspired by each port of call. ‘On one Mediterranean cruise, I decided to knit a dish a day. In Italy, it was pizza; in Spain, it was paella. It was such a fun way of connecting my practice with the journey. And, of course, standing on deck looking out at the sea, it kind of made sense – cruise ships carrying my knitted seafood across the oceans!’
Global Adventures, Local Roots
However, despite the international acclaim, Kate remains rooted in her Brighton studio, tucked inside a historic mews near Sussex Square. ‘I’ve been here over 20 years. My studio is like my second home – filled with yarn, machines, half-finished prawns. I can show work in the gallery space next door, then walk to the sea for a reset.’
The studio is just metres from the shore and the coast continues to inspire Kate, whether in the glimmer of sequins resembling fish scales or the rhythm of waves echoing the patience of knitting. ‘I love just sitting on the beach, sketchbook in hand, letting ideas flow.’
For more information on Kate and her art, go to katejenkinsstudio.co.uk.
