Reflective surfaces

After over 7 weeks spent on this project, i decided today, that its time i sat down and reflected over everything that Ive done so far.
I started this project with the intention of working with technology and fabric with the hope of creating Movement on fabric surfaces with that approach. After delving into the infrastructural,skill and material constraints i decided against it. I then moved onto looking at different mechanism that i could translate onto fabric.The idea was to work with forms and triggers, that would cause changed to the surface that corresponded with the interaction the user would have with the piece/artifact.Once again, i stumbled upon many blocks for I was working with a picture of the final peice being an installation.
Issues of spaces, content, form, communication came up and i found myself in a slump.
In retrospect, i realise now that i was working against the process i usually follow in my work.Also, i was trying to work with forms/materials that i was not familiar with thus causing a whole set of new complications and problems.

I then moved on to actually working with the fabric itself(i should have done that a long time ago).I started dyeing different fabrics and using different techniques with the intention of understanding how different fabrics look having different techniques applied to them. This was not a very focused process in terms of colours for i hadn't yet decided on my pallet. It did help me though, in eliminating and choosing the fabric i would finally used.
I chose movement in nature as inspiration and did moodboards of the different types/kinds of movement occurring in nature and finally settled on Ice formations as my inspiration for colour and texture.What grabbed my attention in this particular mood board was the fact that the naturally occurring movement process is a gradual one where the real movement isn't visible but the final result is.
I now had set of colours to work with which helped my exploration slook related and part of the same series.The colours held them together.

While the central idea theme/ idea of Movement has remained constant through out the project, my approach and understanding of it has changed.Going from literal movement on and of the form, to implied movement on the surface of the fabric by using various surface creating techniques such as dyeing, bleach, and colour to a more visual sense of movement with the use of light.

A more detialed Time line

light*space continued

Here are a few inspirations boards of different kinds of lighting and spaces.
Most of these spaces are those that emerged from the previous mindmap.

light&space


light&formI


light&form II

light & form III

light*space*movement*form

I have reached the stage in my project where i have to decided what form my final outcome will take.having identified that my final products will be a large scale translation of my ideas and explorations Ive started looking at lighting of different spaces.

a mind map of the potential spaces for the final outcome/product

While researching various lighting techniques and forms, I also looked at Kinetic Sculptures and came across the work of Theo Jansen.He is a Dutch artist and kinetic sculptor.He builds large works which resemble skeletons of animals and are able to walk using the wind on the beaches of the Netherlands.
source- wikipedia
for more information about his work - www.strandbeest.com
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While doing my explorations, aside from dyeing I looked at Origami as a method of construction for it fits the theme of movement that is the central idea of my project.
Origami is an ancient Japanese art of paper folding.The goal of this art is to create a representation of an object using a multitude of folds; that allow for many patterns and forms.
I tried a version of the Spring Bomb on paper and i'm in the process of trying it out on paper. If its successful ill try and incorporate it into being one of the final pieces. I haven't yet taken a picture of my model but im posting images of other springs, to give one a sense of what it is.
contracted
expanded

Heres a DIY youtube video with very clear and coherent instructions to make your own paper spring .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4bMH8XCQrM

Explorations

Ive uploaded images of my latest explorations onto Flickr.
Do have a look and leave comments, if any

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29793039@N08/

Birds eye view

Apologies for being virtually inactive the past two weeks.
After my last review,i realised that i had to make some important decisions regarding my project.In terms of final form, techniques, materials etc.I also had to start channelising my explorations in that direction.
The long weekend, that followed was a pleasent surprise with an unexpected trip back home.Apart from the comfort and good weather it provided, it served as a good space to get my thoughts in place and set realistic goals for myself with regard to this project.
Further refining of my moodboard helped immensely. I had arrived at the previous one much too quickly.The new and final one emerged from the 20 moodbaords i was asked to make by panel.
This one has given me a direction and deals with movement in a more subtle and implied manner.

ICE FORMATION & RIPPLES
Contrary to fast processes of movement occurring in Nature, ice formation is a gradual process that leads to a crystallized form.Also, both ice formations and ripples, movement occuring is visible only on the surface.
It also stands as a beautuful example of implied movement, which is what my translations onto fabric are aimed at.To achieve a sense of movement without a physical or mechanical one.

My moodboard serves as a source of inspiration for my colours and textures.

Ive worked out combinations of colors to arrive at tentative colour palletes.
ive narrowed down to two, which i need to further refine.
Given that they are are subtle colours, i need create a pallete that has a few bold colours that will allow me to work with contrasts and highlights.

Revised Proposal

Project brief-
What
How can one work with the inherent fluidity/drapery of fabric to create and generate a sense of movement and intimacy, and in turn, re-evaluate the usage and application of it? How can one layer its surfaces with information that is communicated, while it establishes a relationship with the space it exists in and the viewer?

Fabric, by definition means manufactured cloth. The resources and techniques used to make fabric have a strong foot hold in motion and fluidity. Thus, actively and passively there is a continuing relationship between fabric and movement.

How can one accentuate this relationship and bring it to the surface?

Why
Textiles today stand as an integral part of our daily lives, and surround us in our constantly shifting environments.It serves as an essential component of the social hybrids formed by multi culturalism - be it in our homes, on our bodies, workspaces and relationships. Fabric also form an integral part of every single individual’s living atmosphere and has established itself in this very context as a “cannot do without”. It is increasingly being used as a medium to communicate one’s identity and personal preference – even as a projection of one’s lifestyle – a window into one’s personality. As a material, it holds great potential to be transformed and moulded into a variety of shapes, sizes and a multitude of techniques can be applied to it. Therefore, it also serves as a medium to establish connections and build relationships between spaces, people and our daily environment.

Being a part of this culture, and having to encounter diverse types of tranformations of materials and mediums,I choose to explore this area in further detail and work with fabric so as to accentuate its mouldable nature, and the fact that it could stand as a ‘language’ as well.

As a student of the subject, I believe that design is meant to enhance and provide one with tools/platforms/services that serve as metaphors of, and alternatives to daily life and interactions. I also believe that design allows one the space to investigate and question existing notions, ideologies and re-establish relationships with both the tangible and intangible.

Research questions

The research for this project will involve an enquiry into and ask the following questions:

*What are the various kinds of communications-e.g.-verbal, body language, sensorial, active and passive

*Can they be broken done into simpler forms of sequences, geometry and mathematics and further translated into patterns and imagery?

*What are the main nuances of movement? Attributes, characteristics?

*Movement on other surfaces/object-both internal&external that can be translated onto fabric

Smaller questions that intend to answer

*Is there an existing relationship between communication and fabric?

*If so, how can I translate this onto fabric?

*What are the different techniques I can use for the same?

*What kind of fabric is best suited for this translation?

*What properties of the fabric will add/subtract from this translation?

*Can a combination of techniques be applied to the surface of the fabric? If so, then which ones?

Approach/Process
*Collection of needed information(research)- interviews, books, articles, observations
*Filtering and making connections
*Material explorations
*Constant reflection of the process and ideation of the different concepts and ways of representation
*Adherence to a process that is open, explorative and evolving.

Materials
Different kinds of fabric
Paper (explorations)
Inks, paint, thread
Wires, metal etc

Resources
*NUNO
Kira Kira
Boro Boro
Zawa Zawa
Shimi Jimi
Suke Suke
Fuwa Fuwa
*Textile View Magazines
*New Textiles
*Wearable Art 1900-2000
*Understanding Media – Marshall Mcluhan
*Dynamic Textile Patterns –Designing with smart textile by Linda Worbin
Websites

Learning Outcomes

*a better understanding of materials
*an ability to translate information into diverse forms
*the effects of various techniques on fabric, in conjunction with others, as well as on their own
*An understanding of one of the many facets of textile design- surfaces and translations

Outcome
The final output of this project will be determined by the process
Proposed outcomes-
*panels
*installation
*application of the created surfaces onto products

Fungiied - Mood Board

brainular activity-thought process of arriving at the inspiration

1 more.

explorations continued...

These explorations are a continuation of my first ones.Still working with the pulling mechanism, i've tried the technique on Satin and Organza.
The previous explorations had the top layer in strips; here Ive tried the same technique using circles.

Materials used - Satin(base fabric),Organza(top layer), needle, thread.


Detail 1*
Technique- running stitch on top layer; closer to the outer edge




Detail 2*
Technique-running stitch, closer to the center of the circle



Detail 3*
Technique - running stitch through the top circle layer and the base fabric.(stitch running close to the outer edge of the organza patch)

the first of the explorations

my very first explorations.
materials used- cotton fabric,needle,embroidery thread,double colour voil

One


Two




Three



Four

stuck- unstuck!

i started with my explorations today and found myself stuck!
Ive been going around in circle the past couple of weeks and finally after much frustrations and furiously attacking a piece of fabric, i realised what i needed the most at this self hating phase is to SIMPLIFY!
Funnily enough, im a lot more relieved and its helping me try out permutations and combinations that i didn't think of earlier.
Right now, my focus is on creating surfaces that are interesting and change with the use of simple mechanism of pulling. So far ive created ruffles, folds and am working on pleats.
Hopefully this phase will lead to some place interesting.
I am definitely less stressed now: )

perception

while thinking of triggers, i've started looking at perception.
definition:'A perception is a philosophical term which roughly means an individual's observation/perception of something external to one's self; more specifically, the resultant of perceiving. It is the representation of an external event that affected the senses and which - by perceptual processing - caused the activation of a certain category in the mind, i.e., the percept. The term percept is typically used in contrast to the terms distal stimulus (the external object) and proximal stimulus (the physical stimulation pattern on the senses, e.g., the pattern of light wavelength projected on the retina off the distal stimulus).' source wikipedia

mindmap+a new intent?

Triggers and Textiles
I believe that as a material Fabric holds great potential to be transformed and molded into a variety of shapes, sizes and forms.
In order give these triggers physicality, fabric as a material, is well suited for this purpose for a multitude of techniques can be applied to it to create patterns, textures and forms.
I wish to translate onto and layer the fabric’s surface with information that precipitates participation, action, and a response in the viewer and changes in the space within which it exists.

reflex-tions

After my first review on the 22nd of july, i was asked to make changes to my proposal.
As i sat down to revise it, i started thinking about what my intention had been when i had written it in the first place.I realised, after talking to a few of my resource people that i had about three project all rolled into one, and that was one of the main reasons as to why i was getting tangled up into knots.
So far, i was looking at my project as a technology centric one.Now in retrospect i don't want my outcome to add to the many techie-gizmatic 'objects' that surround us already.My first reaction was to remove technology entirely from my project.I started looking at using Technology as a theme.In affect that would mean "technology' would be the motif/inspiration for prints/patterns.Sure it may lead to finding interesting textures/visuals/imagery when translated onto fabric;except,that isn't what i want to do either.
I went back and referred to all the examples of work i had gathered during my initial research, and more than anything else the idea of triggers excites me the most.
One of the main reasons for this is because its an everyday phenomenon that we experience either actively or passively.Its an experience nonetheless.
My materials explorations begin tomorrow an given i work best while actually playing with the material itself, my ideation will continue and arrive to have a better focus and direction.

Speckles

While doing my initial research I started thinking about what is it that I WANT TO DO?
Something funny, something serious,make.a.statement, thought.provoking, simple.goodlooking.powerful? WHAT?
Over the last week I've had two ideas.They are my first and now is just the begining of my ideation process,so i feel it important to get them out of my head and put them into words.
Here goes:
Yawn
This idea came from a pretty simple observation that happened while i was talking to a friend of mine on Skype about a week ago.It was pretty late at night, actually the wee hours of the morning. We both had our cameras on; and soon half way into the conversation i yawned. A few seconds later, given the delay caused by slow internet connections, he yawned too. This continued for a few minutes after which we started discussing the phenomenon of yawning and how it acts as a visual trigger.We then talked about how they work in public spaces like trains, buses, coffee shops etc.
we pushed it further by saying -what if a screen was erected in a public place, like a street, and every few seconds the passerbys saw an image of a person yawning on the screen, causing them,in turn, to yawn!
This got me thinking about how one could use the same visual trigger and bring it into one's personal space(like bedroom).What if one could have an image of a yawn, that would appear around bed time, or say for insomniacs, the image is programmed to appear every fifteen minutes,causing a physical response in the viewer and implying that its time to sleep?



Reminders
The second idea came from me setting an alarm on my phone to remind me of a mail i had to send off.This got me thinking about the different things people do to recall different tasks they had to do- such as tying strings around their fingers, circling dates on calenders, writing postits, journal entries etc.
Given that one of focus areas of my project is to establish a relationship with between people and spaces, I thought of how one could translate the same response to a visual/physical stimuli,the basic principle that reminders work with, into one's work/private spaces.
What if these spaces had artifacts that had visual cues that appeared and they worked on the the same premise.So for example- pattern that appeared for birthdays or a colour spot for important meetings and other such visual cues that stimulated the memory and established an association with the imagery and an event?

Light,Paper,Scissors-websites visited and books read.

Here is a list of the various websites that i have looked at that host and archive work already done in this domain, along with brief descriptions of some of the work.

Along with the website, here are a few articles and books ive read so far-
Understanding Media by Marshall Mcluhan
Dynamic textile Patterns:designing with smart textiles-a thesis paper by Linda Worbin
Nuno books :-Kira Kira
Boro Boro
Zawa Zawa
Shimi Jimi
Suke Suke
Fuwa Fuwa


WEBSITES
Philips Lumalight - http://vodpod.com/watch/254044-light-emitting-fabric-insane

Personal note - when i came across the Lumalive, it reminded me of this idea i had during the summer that sparked my interest and desire to work with dynamic surfaces.
I wanted to put L.E.D's into cushion and program them to change patterns.The Lumalive is a more sophisticated technology and it allows one to work with text,graphics and animations in full colours while creating movement on the surfaces that it is applied to.


Surfaces(fabric) -

http://www.priyamani.com/expression.html
Personal Note- Priya Mani is a textile designer who works primarily surfaces, in both linear and three dimensional forms.I found some of the techniques used interesting as they played with the quality of light and shadows, that in turn animated the space in which the textile is applied as well as made produced patterns on the surface of the fabric.



Personal note - what i found interesting about the following works of Yuko Takada, Nuno and Seiko Kinoshita was the use of fabric in three dimensional spaces, in the form of large installations.The size of the fabric used, the manner it was used in and the way they worked with the space they were displayed at broke certain notions i had about working with sizes, fabric and spaces itself.

Soft Sculptures in space - http://www.yukotakada.com/



artist - Yuka Takada

Nuno
Installation- Love Stories


Installation - Installation97

Each space is an image of perfume bottles and enclosed by very light and tranparent NUNO fabrics; the coloured polyester organdy gently sways in the air.


http://www.seikokinoshita.com/?page_id=5
Artist -Seiko Kinoshita, textile artist
Shaping Space



Suspended




Blue Bird





Smart textiles- dynamic patterns
http://www.diffus.dk/smart_textiles/intro.htm


Interactive Textile Art - http://www.tomokohayashi.com/home.html

artist - Tomoko Hayashi's work explores the use of tactile and digital media to enhance the intimacy and human connection facilitated by contemporary communication technologies.
Personal note- So far, all my ideas of integrating digital media with fabric seemed very far fetched for I was'nt sure as to how or where one could apply a combination of the two.
This artist's work helped me visualise how such pieces could work - not only technically but also a conceptual level.I found, in her work, simple ideas that worked under the over arching theme of human intimacy,that embodied the subject and stemmed from basic human habits and feelings.


artist-Joanna Berzowska
http://www.digitalthreads.ca/en/clothing/
http://www.digitalthreads.ca/en/Clothing/artwork.cfm

About the art work
This narrative piece uses interactive illustrations to explore the potential of textile as a dynamic surface, not only in terms of how it drapes and moves on the body or how it becomes used and marked by time, but also in terms of future technological developments.
Technologies such as color-change inks and shape-memory alloys can be integrated into textiles to make them move and change in electronically controlled ways. Joanna is fascinated by the design possibilities and the huge potential for subtle yet complex use of color and shape to communicate with the world through those soft, dynamic surfaces.
source - the website

Non verbal Communication
http://designmind.frogdesign.com/articles/numbers/writing-without-words.html
artist-Stefanie Posavec



"Writing Without Words: Visualizing 'On The Road' as a literary organism"
is a project that uses various graphic approaches to analyze the structure and themes of On The Road by Jack Kerouac.
Here, the artist has studied and broken down the structure of the story into numerical data that is further translated into graphics created by hand in a computer graphic program instead of using an information visualisation program.

http://designmind.frogdesign.com/articles/identity/communication-apparel.html
artist-Alis Cambol
Technologically enhanced apparel that is augmenting non-verbal communication between strangers

"Communication Apparel is an exploration of the language of clothes, with an emphasis on social dynamics. By incorporating the non-verbal communication habits of animals into clothing, the artist proposed to enhance this capacity for expressivity. Using responsive technology, she was able to create a new visual language in human apparel, calling upon the dynamism of animal behaviors in response to danger, aggression, pleasure, and other feelings. The project acts as a catalyst to encourage greater awareness of the ways we communicate with strangers through our external appearances. It serves as a social probe to awaken curiosity towards our spiritual relation to what we choose to wear."-source- the website

http://www.tii.se/reform/projects/itextile/pillow.html
Interactive Pillows
Stemming from the need for more subtle forms of communication to complement existing IT devices, this project explores interactive pillows as a means of enhancing long-distance communications. Through natural interaction with a pillow in one location, dynamic textile patterns are activated in a pillow located elsewhere. Expanding the vocabulary for remote communications through tangible and aesthetic interaction, the pillows offer a new repertoire of expressive possibilities that consider emotional, social, and aesthetic values.
source- the website

Technology
http://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardLilyPad

The LilyPad Arduino is a microcontroller board designed for wearables and e-textiles. It can be sewn to fabric and similarly mounted power supplies, sensors and actuators with conductive thread. The board is based on the ATmega168V (the low-power version of the ATmega168) (datasheet). The LilyPad Arduino was designed and developed by Leah Buechley and SparkFun Electronics. - source the website