Workshop for Textile Design BA students, 1st year, at HB

Workshop within the course 'Form and Materials 2'

WORKSHOP: Magnetic Textiles: Exploring the Non-Visual in Textile Design

This workshop will explore the design possibilities of magnetic phenomenon in textile design. Magnetic phenomenon holds the quality of being imperceptible until manifested in some way, such as through physical interaction. This phenomenon presents itself as a non-visual material, and, paradoxically, as a physical material to be utilized in design. The inclusion of magnetic threads in textile constructions allow for hidden attributes to be expressed, for example through kinetic behaviours and haptic feedback, which thereby enhance the dimensions of design available to us. This area of non-visual material exploration becomes particularly rich when combined with the variables specific to textile design such as yarn compositions, structure, and texture.

In this workshop students will work with magnetic and non-magnetic threads, wires, or yarns, to create a series of magnetic textile design samples using one or more textile construction technique(s) of their choosing (e.g. knitting, crochet, weaving, etc.). Students will design textiles that emit sound waves or electromagnetic radiation, or that are kinetically actuated through the use of neodymium magnets. Students will have both independent and supported work periods. Samples will be presented on the last day of the workshop in a group critique format