What’s technology got to do with your wardrobe?

Skills tour #1

Jamilla Ives, United KingdomLaura Pritchard, United KingdomVeerle Tytgat, BelgiumAnne Laure Dubois, FranceNathalie Hahy, FranceAdeline Beaudry, Begium

Marina ToetersMartijn ten BhömerMelissa Coleman

Participants

Experts

Participating institutes

Textile RevolutionThe Crysalis Project provides opportunities to combine knowledge and tradition with technology; and to stimulate collaboration of big names with textile start-ups. Most importantly, it unleashes the European textile community’s creative genius; and you can play your part in it.

What’s in it for you?Partly funded by the European Regional Development Fund, The Crysalis Project is a collaboration of the University for Creative Arts in Rochester, leading the way in digital textile development as well as engaging young entrepreneurs; Plymouth College of Art, which has a large experience in education and crafts; the city of Calais represented by The International City of Lace and Fashion and TIO3 Textiles Open Innovation Centre representing the city of Ronse, Belgium, both of whom have a rich heritage of textile tradition and a strong focus on public engagement and entrepreneurship.

The Crysalis Project has something for you, whether you’re an academic, a student, a practitioner, a manufacturer, a professional, entrepreneur or all of these. It’s a programme with many themes and activities, woven together to create a range of creative places and spaces for you to connect, collaborate, learn and do business. Crysalis offers you an opportunity to get acquainted with new technologies, explore traditional craft techniques, to work and exhibit internation-ally, to connect with textile business in the UK, France and Belgium, and to develop your practice to new levels or in new directions.

Find out more on www.crysalis-network.eu

Exhibition Pretty Smart Textiles28.10.2012 / 16.12.2012

Through the Skills Tour, Melissa gave a behind the scenes look of the works on display at the exhibition ‘Pretty Smart Textiles’. She showed all kinds of new concepts and informed the participants about what artists and designers are making in this field.

In the textile industry of the future, innovation, technology and development are the keywords. To keep designers and companies informed about the newest trends and technologies TIO3 hosted a skills tour about smart textiles.

During an intensive week, six designers learned about and worked with various types of soft conductive materials. They created samples and prototypes based on techniques such as conductive paint, conductive fibers, LEDS and motion sen-sors. They learned how to make textiles dynamic and interactive by integrating simple electronical applications.

The participants acquired a thorough theoretical knowledge of the combination of electronics and textiles. Yet the focus during the workshop was to let them work with the materials. In groups of two people they created prototypes that enabled them to test out how concepts could be translated into reality.

On the next pages you will read their stories, concepts, frustrations and ideas.

Skills Tour #105.11.2012 / 09.11.2012

Marina Toeters – by-wire.netMartijn ten Bhömer – TU/Eindhoven Melissa Coleman – curator Pretty Smart Textiles

As a textile designer I prefer stitching and weaving techniques which allow me to create raised patterns and volumes, essential for outlining the shapes and volumes of my objects. My interest in research has led me to experiment and collaborate with many different designers, such as Delphine Quirin with whom I am working on a new collection.

Adeline Beaudry

As a textile designer I’m an explorer in natural and raw textile materials. I look in my closest surroundings for what is not visible and useable at first sight. For my final collection at school I started to investigate the possibillities of human hair as a textile material. By upcycling the hair as a waste material, it is changed into a new esthetic, decorative and functional material. For the Project ‘Belicht’ I experimented with local plants and weeds to colour fabrics. Afterwards, by using direct sunlight and origami techniques, the fabrics are bleached into a pattern.

Veerle Tytgat

CONCEPT / What was your idea?The basic idea was to make a carpet that produces sounds that remind us of noises in our surroundings.

The carpet is a building block, out one shape that is repeated over and over and woven together. In that way, it is possible to make the carpet as big as you like, We combined different colors and fabrics to make it more attractive. Our goal was to make a sample of the carpet, with a few possibilities that show the interactivity. The object is interactive in a way that when the user touches one part of the carpet, it activates another part that reacts with sound.

We started by putting little vibrators inside the different shapes. Depending on the material the vibrators touch they produce different sounds. We used different kinds of haberdashery like little bells and metal lids. Instead of sound, we found out that we also could let the carpet light up. So we experimented with LED’s too. To activate the light or vibrators, they were connected to a soft button. The button is made of conducted fabric and foam that was sewn together.

After putting the electronics inside, we had to find a way to connect the different shapes. A connection from the outside to the inside. We used flexible copper yarns, covered with plastic. They form the connection between the soft button and the vibrators and LED’s. With simple buttons we connected the copper yarns with the fabric. The button is the connection from the inside to the outside. These buttons make an electronic connection between the different shapes and at the same time they hold the carpet together.

The little lights and vibrators are also connected to batteries. It is essential that they could be replaced easily. We hid the bat-teries in the fabric but we didn’t sew the fabric together in that spot. We made a little pouch, and in some places we connected the fabric with velcro.

Process

COMPONENTS / Which electronics did you use? LED’s from a lighting flower bouquetVibratorsCopper yarn (covered with plastic)Batteries

Do you think that you will incorporate electronics in your future work?

Veerle: “During my studies I collected different kinds of copper or metal yarns, just because I thought they were decorative. Maybe now I can combine this decorative aspect with a special function...”

I am a Master in textile design. I just finished La Cambre, an art school in Bruxelles. I am Interested in smart textiles. My latest exhibition was Fédustria Woodiful.

Anne Laure Dubois

I am an artist. My latest work was a resident. I am interrested in smart textiles for Lille 3000- Fantastic & Le Cléa with Mode & Arts du Futur (work of mediation and assistance to costumes-design with school children, teach-ers & community centers groups).

Nathalie Hahy

The first idea was to do a retransmission of emotions and feelings. Anne Laure wanted to make an object that could sense what two people felt. I (Nathalie) thought of a screen with a transparent silhouette of a soldier. By adding electronics I wanted to represent his fear and anxiety during a bomb explosion.

After several compromises we chose the form and fabric. The form would be a cocoon of nylon elastic fabric with opaque open cuts cut out by the laser. We made them around in a spiral shape to play with natural light outside. Inside we would use LED’s so people outside could see the inside and vice versa.

We wanted a person to go inside the cocoon and experience several emotions. We wanted even to add sounds of heart-beats, adjust the space with movement in the fabric, change the intensity of the lights and colors during the different passages of emotions.

In short: we came up with an extremely ambitious project for beginners like us!

CONCEPT / What was your idea?

Our first prototype was made out of opaque fabric but we couldn’t find more fabric to make a larger prototype so we had to use a transparent nylon. This fabric was larger but less interesting to work with. We also experienced problems with the size of the fabric because it was too large to put under the laser.

Then we needed a motor to pull the fabric so we experimented with programming a motor on an Arduino. With the help of Martijn it worked but unfortunately we could not make it work without him. After many adventures we found plastic pipes that we cutted out and installed in the hems of the cocoon which we attached to the ceiling.

At the end of the project Anne Laure and I found ourselves completely depressed because the outcome was not what we had planned. In front of us we saw something that looked like a shower curtain or a mosquito net without electronics. After a period of intense thinking and playing with our form, we found a solution. We would fold the cocoon in half to form a shape where two persons can stand inside. We made it interactive by using light that lighted up when we pressed the soft buttons. We hid the electronic circuits in a white fabric thicker that was heart-shaped. We called it: the wedding cocoon.

Process

Soft buttons Electric wiresBatteryConductive fabricLED’s

COMPONENTS / Which electronics did you use?

Yes, but step by step, little by little. I definitely want to learn more.

Do you think that you will incorporate electronics in your future work?

I have recently graduated at UCA from a Degree in Fashion Textiles, Print. I am highly inspired by extreme sports and its clothing. My prints are designed to stand out in the crowd with use of colour and handdrawn images.

Laura Pritchard

I tend to rely on my digital print skills in order to create something. However the skills tour pulled me out of my comfort zone which was quite daunting at first. I have always had an interest in extreme sports and therefore decided I would create a smart textiles object relating to something an extreme sportsman could use or wear. As my sewing skills are not my strongest point I decided to keep the object as simple as possible.

CONCEPT / What was your idea?

I originally decided to create a pair of mittens that when held in a particular way, they would heat up. After a few experiments I found out that there was not enough power in the batteries we used to generate heat. Therefore I decided to use red lights to be lit up to give a physiological sense that the gloves were heating up. Being good with electronics is definitely not one of my strongest points, however when being shown how to link the components together it did not seem so confusing. I also used laser cutting to create a printed design to the mittens by engraving a mountain pattern into the fabric.

Process

LED lightsWiresBatteries Conductive fabric

COMPONENTS / Which electronics did you use?

COMPONENTS / Witch electronica did you use?

I think the course definitely opened my eyes to the possibilities of using electronics within my prints and garments.

Do you think that you will incorporate electronics in your future work?

Fashion Designer, Pattern cutter and Garment Technician. With a background in Fashion Design and pattern cutting at UCA, my work aims to use traditional atelier skills in contemporary design practice.

Jamilla Ives

Working a lot with the idea of recycling and reusing, the concept of the ‘cradle to cradle’ philosophy appealed to my work as a way of economically sourcing and using fabrication in an everyday way. By designing modular pieces which could be worn individually or together I could reference this idea of fully recyclable garments, but also design pieces in line with the way in which we wear them; together and often layered. We so often use guides; magazine, the internet, general advice. To effect and guide us in our own personal styling. Lighting here is used as a direct guide for the user as they layer each piece it lights up allowing the end user to know exactly how it is to be worn.

CONCEPT / What was your idea?

I wanted to incorporate electronics into the dressing process of my garment. Lighting is often used as a guide as it is clear way to grab the users attention. Using lighting in this project allowed me to draw together different modular components. Testing out the electronics and understanding the basic principles of circuitry was a essential part of the design process drawing on the way the circuit was to be used in the overall design, and how these pieces would be removed in order to work successfully with the ‘cradle to cradle’ concept. The main problems arose in joingin the circuit together and creating lines of LED’S that each lit up. The voltage was an important part of the circuitry process; the more lights you use the more area the power has to be distributed over. If the voltage is not high enough the LED’s light will diminish, if the voltage is too high then the LED’s will blow.stithick about the distance between the conductive yarns, by increasing the thus ensuring the bulbs would not blow.

Process

In order to keep the construction of my circuit relatively simple I used only LED’S, conductive fibers and traditional electrical wires. The high resistance of the conductive fibers worked in my favour when designing this piece, as they allowed me to monitor the voltage more effectively, I didn’t need an entirely vibrant set of LED’S because the light was for the user rather than for a wider audience.

COMPONENTS / Which electronics did you use?

In the concept of this project I really enjoyed working with electronics the realm of possibilities are extensive and ultimately the future of technology and the future of textiles have very strong connections. For me to use electronics I think they work more on a conceptual level and on a novelty level, but I hope that I could design a key piece with electronics incorporated. In understanding the basic elements I feel I would not be deterred by the idea of using electronics, but feel pushed to use them in a creative and in a functional way.

Do you think that you will incorporate electronics in your future work?