Episode 8

Maskerade 2008, kleur- en grijze potloden op papier, A5 (op A3 formaat).

Maskerade 2017, kleur en grijze potloden op papier, A4 formaat. Contribution by Yvonne van de Griendt

E-Textile-Swatch Exchange Rituals

8

Editor Contrechoc

Does the e-textile swatch “work”?

E-textile swatches means examples of electronic or interactive

textiles – or special materials, either technical or extra special natural…

If the swatch contains new materials or special techniques working could mean:

• The swatch can tell a story.

• The swatch can show a principle.

• The swatch shows a material.

• The swatch can be a sample of a process.

• The swatch when manipulated by hand shows an effect.

• The swatch can be a result of textile work, knitting, weaving,

embroidery, non-woven.

• The swatch material worked – a long time ago – for example

the temperature dependent materials – the effect being

diminishing and disappearing in months.

If the swatch contains electronics, “working” could mean:

• The swatch can do an action with added electronics.

• The swatch can do an action if a battery is added.

• The swatch will do an action if a switch is pressed.

• The swatch “acts” – as long as the battery is working.

• The swatch “worked” – a long time ago – use of unstable

materials.

A few examples of “working” swatches.

Story:

Mili Tharakan. Zardosi embroidery

http://etextile-summercamp.org/swatch-exchange/zardozi-embroidery/ A story about an Indian designer discovering a village where embroideries with metal beads are made - being conductive.

Materials 1: Measure

Barbro Scholz. Manipulation of conductive surface

http://etextile-summercamp.org/swatch-exchange/manipulation-of-conductive-surface/

To see this swatch „work“ you need to measure resistance.

Electronics – battery included.

Zohar Messaca Fara, Maya Minder - Kombucha lick’o’meter hybrid circuit. http://etextile-summercamp.org/swatch-exchange/kombucha-lickometer-hybrid-circuit/

Battery included, and the touching is the switch. So this swatch “works” when touched, as long as the battery is working, because the battery cannot be replaced. The kombucha is biodegradable (story) – but of course the electronics and battery are not.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/contrechoc/51630103263/in/dateposted/ - to see it working.

Materials 2: Manipulation

Celine Marcq. Hide and Seek

http://etextile-summercamp.org/swatch-exchange/hide-and-seek/

To see this swatch work, you need to manipulate the materials, change the light direction, fold, overlay.

Worked, but now only sometimes. Not because of this: a Failure.

Because of this: Exhibit.

Beam. Inessential. http://etextile-summercamp.org/swatch-exchange/inessential/

First layer: add the battery, this also acts as a switch.

Because of use of conductive aluminum, which corroded over time,

the principle is not reliable anymore.

See this worked: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tWzincoCXo

The second layer of this swatch is a story: by adding different words

for all of the items of this idea, creating stress in the swatch

exchange community, one member having the swatch with the

word “ultraspecial”.

Since this swatch was a “failure” on the second level of community building. The swatch was shown as a part of the exhibition “Attempts, Failures, Trials and Errors” - exhibition project organized by 2580 Association (Cluj, Romania). This exhibition was shown in Bergen and other cities in Europe.

Photo credits: Stefan Sava. From the publication:

https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/conference_contribution/Attempts_failures_trials_and_errors_Notes_on_an_exhibition_of_failed_prototypes_and_rejected_projects/12093945/1

Third layer: Art component.

Publication Textiles 8

The Footprint

Editor: Contrechoc

Technique: laser engravings.

We have to worry these days. Richer

than ever before, we are also more depressed

than ever before, because of our carbon

footprints.

Print, trace, text.

We either print ink on paper to produce

text, or color pixels on a screen of a

computer to produce text.

Our thoughts leave an imprint. But this

printing on paper or a screen seems so

superficial. We want to go deeper with

publication textiles, and …

we can go deeper.

With laser engravings.

Very deep!

For this we use the drawings, kindly put at

our disposal by the editor Otaku.

And we zoom in:

Laser engraving can go very deep – ultimately deep:

Until nearly nothing of the material is left to leave a footprint. Happy with the publication-engraving-foot-imprint-ed ?

Editor Marina Toeters

51.438470688796706,

5.443782327506125

Fashion Tech Farm

Chicken lecturing electronic circuitry

Citaten uit de Fashion Tech Farm Population:

36: My e-garments are now so protective

that they get drunk instead of me during

parties.

37: Intelligente patat gaf net aan mijn

intelligente kleding door dat ik meer op mijn

gezondheid moet letten.

38: Met Kerstmis heb ik mijn future

garments naast de Kerstboom gezet. We

zagen geen verschil meer.

39: I felt suddenly so lonely in my

interconnected smart wardrobe.

40: De leds in uw garments blijven

gegarandeerd de komende 10.00 jaar

functioneren.

Re-FREAM Project Second Skins

Credits Malou Beemer

About designers working in the Fashion tech Farm:

Malou Beemer

Sensitivity and empathy are lacking in the current wearable tech which is mainly designed from a practical, rational performance enhancing and solution driven perspective.

In fashion tech Malou Beemer is advocating designers can make a difference by the fusion the characteristics of practical wearable tech with communicative, social and the sensitive esthetics found in fashion which deals with human interaction and expression.

Victory over the Sun