Abstract/Position Statement

As a textile lecturer and designer I am interested in the intersection between emerging technologies and traditional textile practice. Exploring the structural properties of a fabric and creating potentially new geometries or systems in cloth and pattern are a key interest. Embedding electronics into fabric surfaces has great potential for collaboration and pervasive textile artworks. I would like to apply to participate in The Pervasive Workshop in order to present my own ongoing research collaborations and to open discussions on integrating textiles with display technology. I have little technical experience in electronics however I can contribute to discussions in terms of textile experience. Out of these dialogues potential collaborations and future new works have the potential to arise.

Key Words

Textile systems, e-textiles, thermo chromatic inks, LED light circuits, non woven fabrics, traditional textile constructions, intersections of technology with fabric structures, pervasive textile artwork

Introduction

Against the current climate of multi-disciplinary design collaboration traditional textile constructions are merging with new technologies. In terms of textile manufacturing some of the most interesting intersections between traditional textiles and technology are happening in Japan. Textile Designers are collaborating with scientists and engineers to produce extraordinary results. Artists find themselves in an age where they can merge two opposites hand and technology( Wada 2002) Two key areas have emerged in textiles. Smart fabrics that can resist stains and act like skins to control heat and insulation. Electronic textiles that can be wearable and incorporate small computations within the cloth.. In such cases conductive threads are incorporated to enable conductivity. This can result in fabrics emitting sound, smell and light (Berzowska 2005). It is against this background that I have made early explorations of hand and technology in my textile work and would like to incorporate more possibilities and outcomes in this spirit of exploration.

Figure 1: Reticella Lace Series Photo credit Paul Pavlou

Background Research Projects

An ongoing pre-occupation in my practice is to create contemporary lace interpretations, (fig.1). The impetus behind this work talks into the integration of technology with traditional textile constructions. Encoded in the process is the tradition of a textile history that is continually responding to creative technologies evolving within each age (Heffer 2007).

The illustrated work entitled "Reticella Lace Series" (fig. 1 and 2) is from a solo exhibition of contemporary lace works funded by the Visual Arts/Craft Board of the Australia Council under the category of New Emerging Work. Contemporary Lace is a collection of work that specifically investigates new textile possibilities and configurations. The intention is to create new emerging textile works that combine current innovative technologies with existing traditional craft skills. I am interested in creating a dialog between the old and the new existing along side each other. One informs the other. This interaction of the two creates a new form. Laser technology can be combined with hand finishing, the drawn and hand painted translated through the digital imaging (Cochrane 2004).