The artistic outputs focus on similarities between cultures, explorations of artefacts with connotations of cultural translation involving active processes of identification in terms of how materials and expressions are used to create relational aesthetics, and alternative approaches to modernity.  Any further information? : Expressions of Discarded Design Decisions #6_Diluted Rolling consists of post-consumer waste garments selected through the lens of diverse geographic origins of textile patterns. With a majority of the garments being produced by fast fashion companies they are characterized by low quality materials and production methods. But also on a design level, the design decisions taken reflect that of a rapid production approach where expressions of textile patterns are worked in a compromising way and the outcome represents a diluted version of the original pattern. In the video sequence the pattern origins start to blend whilst showcasing similarities through the act of rolling them together. The relations between the diluted expressions of the design materials become apparent. Rather than designing, this work suggests a viewing of post-consumer materials as an act of non-designing. In this moment of pause a space for new streams of thoughts that opens up, inviting for alternative perspectives of reflection.

Exhibited at Drafts 4.

Exhibited at Drafts 4.

The research project presented in this article investigated the role of the garment as an instigator of change through a series of practice-based experiments. Twenty-five knit garments, which had been discarded due to their being unsellable post-consumer waste materials, were collected and used to explore the potential of past design decisions The group of garments was considered to be a single design material to work with and reflect upon. A data analysis was conducted on the material with regard to fibre composition, colour, production country, structure, and shapes, before a series of experiments was conducted. Rather than being used to create a permanent artefact or a fixed form, the garments remained loose, plastic pieces throughout the research process, in order to be redefined through new actions to lead to the generation of new artefacts. Each experiment in the series ‘Expressions of Discarded Design Decisions’ was documented and numbered before the next was undertaken. Past design decisions, made during the production of garments, present a set of design variables and properties that can be used as a foundation for defining future design decisions. The design examples created as part of this experiment series raise questions, generate knowledge, and stimulate new thoughts in relation to the changing role of the designer and the process of searching for and adapting to new areas. The reflective framework suggested in this article posits the garment as an instigator of change, and has the potential to catalyse new ideas and methods for design practice and pedagogy.  

The result is a shift in perspective from the notion of ‘discarded garments’ to that of ‘discarded design decisions´. This points to the responsibility of the designer and opens up for new possibilities regarding rethinking habitual modes and procedures for new visions, ideas, theories, and practices.

The research project presented in this article investigated the role of the garment as an instigator of change through a series of practice-based experiments. Twenty-five knit garments, which had been discarded due to their being unsellable post-consumer waste materials, were collected and used to explore the potential of past design decisions The group of garments was considered to be a single design material to work with and reflect upon. A data analysis was conducted on the material with regard to fibre composition, colour, production country, structure, and shapes, before a series of experiments was conducted. Rather than being used to create a permanent artefact or a fixed form, the garments remained loose, plastic pieces throughout the research process, in order to be redefined through new actions to lead to the generation of new artefacts. Each experiment in the series ‘Expressions of Discarded Design Decisions’ was documented and numbered before the next was undertaken. Past design decisions, made during the production of garments, present a set of design variables and properties that can be used as a foundation for defining future design decisions. The design examples created as part of this experiment series raise questions, generate knowledge, and stimulate new thoughts in relation to the changing role of the designer and the process of searching for and adapting to new areas. The reflective framework suggested in this article posits the garment as an instigator of change, and has the potential to catalyse new ideas and methods for design practice and pedagogy.  

The result is a shift in perspective from the notion of ‘discarded garments’ to that of ‘discarded design decisions´. This points to the responsibility of the designer and opens up for new possibilities regarding rethinking habitual modes and procedures for new visions, ideas, theories, and practices.