SYDNEY, N.S. — Charlotte Clarke was trying to study for midterms when a friend sent her a message with the challenge "You should bead this."
The message included a social media post of someone's pattern to embroider a QR (quick response) code that when scanned by a cellphone would bring up Rick Astley's "Never Going to Give You Up" video on YouTube. It's a classic internet prank called a Rickroll, where someone is tricked into clicking or scanning something that brings them to the 1987 hit video.
Immediately Clarke, who is from Markham, Ont., wanted to do it. After getting some education on QR codes from her father, who is from Toronto, Ont., the 18-year-old Mi'kmaq-Acadian woman started.
Taking seven hours to complete, Clarke used a ladder stitch and size 10 black-and-white seed beads to create the code, which successfully Rickrolled her when she scanned with her phone.
With the caption, "I am proud to announce that I have successfully Indigenized rick rolling," Clarke posted a video of it working on Twitter and it went viral. By publication time, the video had more than one million views, 84,000 likes and 19,700 shares.
hello twitter, i am proud to announce that i have successfully Indigenized rick rolling pic.twitter.com/lErUMw382o
— charlotte adèle ⛰ (@charlottexadele) October 24, 2019
"It's wild. I can't even imagine how much one million is," said Clarke who's mother is from Arichat. "I feel like half of the views are me, though. I still laugh when I see it. It still amazes me it worked and Rickrolling is just timeless. It's amazing. I don't know anything about technology and I could bead this."
Clarke started beadwork a year and a half ago after attending a workshop organized by the Markham area school board. An elder from Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation taught participants how to line a medicine pouch with beads. After it was over, Clarke tried to help the elder sort the colours of the beads, which were badly mixed up.
"She looked at me and said, 'If you want to learn, go ahead (and take these beads),'" said Clarke, who studying Mi'kmaq history and culture at Cape Breton University. "I had already been doing crochet and things with my hands so I said yes and taught myself from there."
With the help of YouTube videos and guidance from beadwork artists she met online, Clarke was able to fine-tune her skills from making "some sort of avocado thing ... that wasn't very good" to earrings, medallions and now QR codes.
Clarke, who sells her work through her Instagram and Twitter accounts (@charlottexadele), said she's received messages from many people wanting to buy the Rickrolling QR code piece. Currently they cost $100 each because it takes seven hours to finish one. But Clarke hopes to lower the price once she gets a loom that will speed up the beading process.
Rickrolling
What is it: An internet prank and internet meme
What happens: A person gets tricked to hit a link that misdirects them to Rick Astley 1987 video "Never Going to Give You Up"
When did it start: May 2007 (believed to be first)
Rickrolling incidents include: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (2008), San Diego Padres game against Boston Red Sox (2019)
Astley released a pianoforte version of the song in 2019.
Charlotte Clarke
Age: 18
Grew Up: Markham, Ont.
Student: Cape Breton University, first year
Discipline: Mi'kmaq history and culture
Father: From Toronto
Mother: From Arichat
Relatives from: Eskasoni First Nation
Does: Beading, powwow dancing
Instagram , Twitter
