The design research is practice-based, thus, closely connected with the experimentationthat is embedded into artifacts. What is an artifact? The term can be understood in diverseways. The research artifacts could be considered as an intermediary knowledge, as a‘midway’ between instances and theories, such as ‘‘bridging concepts’’ (Dalsgaard andDindler, 2014), “research archetypes” (Wensveen and Matthews, 2015), “ultimateparticulars” (Waern and Back, 2017), “strong concepts” (Höök and Löwgren, 2012), etc. Theresearch artifacts materialize the thinking process and could be seen as ‘‘evocative objects’’ (Su & Liang, 2013; Turkle, 2007) that express the abstraction of concepts. 

The exhibition Drafts is inviting to explore the conceptions by different researchers of what is the research artifact in the field of fashion and textile. This project consists of series of exhibitions exploring design research artifacts as an Intermediary knowledge. The exhibition Drafts invites Professors, Senior Lecturers, Postdoc researchers, doctorates, and Ph.D. scholars from ten different countries with theirintriguing research artifacts in the field of fashion and textile. 

This project exhibition and webinar sessions provide opportunities to understand newperspectives for researchers, faculty, and students exploring research artifacts. This series of exhibitions and dialogue brings a new perspectivein understanding research artifacts. These exhibitions are followed by alternative researchpresentations and research workshop culminating into publications. 

Curators: Dr. Vidmina Stasiulyte and Faseeh Saleem     

The experimental explorations are based on the varied perception of the body and body-material expressions. The research artifact ‘knitted tube’ interaction with various bodies questions the preconceived notions of the body in fashion and textile design development. The results of the exploration are alternative methods for understanding the body as a central variable in fashion and textile design practices. The body alternative provides freedom in design thinking and develops idiosyncratic design methods for fashion and textile design.  

The research artifact, ‘serves as input into knowledge production and as output for knowledge communication’. As inputs artifact gives the insight to start a research project, inspire new explorations with analyzing outcome which further help to formulate a research question. As outputs artifact highlight whether the research inquiry needs reformulation; demonstrate experimental knowledge of the creative process along with strengthening the findings to articulate in written outputs (Nimkulrat, 2013).