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journal The Textile Research Centre, CTF Centrum för Textilforskning University College of Borås The Swedish School of Textiles Craft Design Textile- and Design Management Textile Technology The Nordic Textile Dr Mohamed Mitwally

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journal

The Textile Research Centre, CTF

Centrum för Textilforskning

University College of Borås The Swedish School of Textiles

Craft

Design

Textile- and Design Management

Textile Technology

The Nordic Textile

Dr Mohamed Mitwally

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Contents

The Nordic Textile Journal

The Textile Research Centre, CTF

Hallnäs, Lars, Tornqvist, Clemens

Fashion design: world making - garment making.

Bergman, Marcus

Some notes on photograhy as fashion design

Mitwally Amer, Mohamed, Saleh Said Saleh, Tarek

Nature as a source of colors

and its use in Upholstery fabric design

Trebitsch, Barbara

The fashion design project and strategic boundaries

Creativity as freedom or brand as drive of creativity?

Berglin, Lena, Ellwanger, Marion, Hallnäs, Lars

Worbin, Linda, Zetterblom, Margareta

Smart Textiles - what for and why?

Worbin, Linda

Textile Disobedience. When textile patterns start to interact

Carbonaro, Simonetta, Votava, Christian

Paths to a new Prosperity

Hammarlund, Lena

Handicraft Knowledge Applied to Archaeological Textiles

3

4

8

24

31

40

46

51

70

86

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2 Textile Journal

The Nordic Textile Journal

University College of Borås, HB

The Swedish School of Textiles, THS

The Textile Research Centre, CTF

SE-501 90 BORÅS

SWEDEN

Tel: +46 33 435 41 64

Fax: +46 33 435 40 09

E-mail [email protected]

URL: http://www.hb.se/ths/ctf

Publisher

Tekn. Dr. Kenneth Tingsvik

Editor

Tekn. Dr. Kenneth Tingsvik

Managing editor

Intendent Larsh Eriksson

Editorial advisors

Professor Lise Bender Jörgensen

Professor Hans Bertilsson

Professor Simonetta Carbonaro

Professor Marion Ellwanger

Professor Ulla E:son Bodin

Professor Lars Hallnäs

Professor Johan Huldt

Tekn. Dr. Kenneth Tingsvik

Professor Staffan Toll

Graphic design

Intendent Larsh Eriksson

Publication

ISSN 1404-2487

Prepress and printing house

Etcetera Offset AB, Borås

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3Textile Journal

The Nordic Textile Journal

The Nordic Textile Journal collects and publishes articles of interest within the

fields of textile, design management, engineering and craft. Although the Journal

is mainly for Nordic readership, many articles are published in English, in order

to feature new and interesting research outside the Nordic countries.

Articles should cover subjects of wide interest within and between the fields

mentioned above. They can also be summaries of lectures and seminars.

All material is subject to consideration by the editorial Board.

Subscription

The issues of the Journal are available free of charge.

Guidelines for authors

All papers must comply as follows:

Manuscripts

Headings, paragraphs, captions, italics etc must be absolutely clear. Articles

should be submitted on disc or by e-mail, clearly marked with the name(s) and

address of the author(s), indicating the title of the article, and the software

used. (MS Word or WordPerfect is preferred.)

An abstract should be provided for each article. The abstract precedes the

main text and draws attention to its salient points. Authors writing in Swedish

may, if they wish, include an abstract in English.

References should indicate the author's name, the name of the publication and

the year of publication.

The Nordic Textile Journal includes illustrations in four-colour printing. Authors

should therefore indicate which pictures are required in colour. These can be

submitted as slides, photos, or sent on a disk or e-mail, preferably in TIF or EPS.

Final decisions on colour illustrations to be included are taken by the editors.

For further information, please contact: The Nordic Textile Journal,

University College of Borås, CTF/THS , SE-501 09 BORÅS, Sweden.

E-mail: [email protected], Fax: +46 33 435 40 09, Phone: +46 33 435 41 64

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4 Textile Journal

Aims

The Objectives of the CTF are:

Design

Textile- and Design Management

Crafts

Textile Technology

The Textile Research Centre, CTF

The CTF was founded in 1998 and is based at The Swedish School of

Textiles at the University College of Borås.

The aims of the Centre are:

To give a research profile to the unique combination of subjects within

the School.

To strengthen the research capabilities in the subject areas of the School:

crafts, design, textile- and design management and textile technology.

To build up and strengthen research within the School's educational pro-

grammes, to attract national and international expertise, thus meeting the

requirements of subject-specific professors and postgraduate programmes.

To bring together all interested parties in crafts, design, textile- and design

management and textile technologyin order to create a Nordic centre for textile

research.

The Centre collects, assemble and process relevant information, to stimulate

research and make it available to all professional groups in the field of textiles.

Therefore, part of the Centre's reponsiblility is to arrange lectures, seminars and

conferences, and to report ongoing discussions and results of research in

publications and other media.

Areas of Interest and Research:

"The development of innovative design with the help of modern technology giving

consideration to environmental, estetic, financial and ethical requirements".

Design management, fashion logistics, humanistik marketing, design direction

Historic textiles

Environmental technology, technical textiles, fibre technology

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5Textile Journal

The Research Board at the Swedisch School of Textiles

Kenneth Tingsvik Tekn. Dr, Director, The Swedish School of

Textiles at the University College of Borås

[email protected]

Ulla E:son Bodin Professor, The Swedish School of Textiles

at the University College of Borås

[email protected]

Hans Bertilsson Professor, The Swedish School of Textiles

at the University College of Borås

[email protected]

Lise Bender Jörgensen Professor, The Swedish School of Textiles

at the University College of Borås

[email protected]

Simonetta Carbonaro Professor, The Swedish School of Textiles

at the University College of Borås

[email protected]

Marion Ellwanger Professor, The Swedish School of Textiles

at the University College of Borås

[email protected]

Lars Hallnäs Professor, The Swedish School of Textiles

at the University College of Borås

lars.hallnä[email protected]

Johan Huldt Professor, The Swedish School of Textiles

at the University College of Borås

[email protected]

Staffan Toll Professor, Chalmers Institute of Technology,

The Swedish School of Textiles at the University

College of Borås. [email protected]

Clemens Thornquist Ph Dr / Student Representative,

The Swedish School of Textiles at the University

College of Borås. [email protected]

Larsh Eriksson Managing Director, CTF,

The Swedish School of Textiles at the University

College of Borås

[email protected]

Agneta Nordlund-Andersson Project administrator, CTF

The Swedish School of Textiles at the University

College of Borås

[email protected]

Members:

Additional Members:

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6 Textile Journal

Textile Research Council, CTF

The aim of the membership of the Textle Research Council was to create close

links within the field of textiles relevant to the work of the CTF. The first board

meeting was held on 31 August 1998.

Kenneth Tingsvik Tekn. Dr, Director, The Swedish School of

Textiles at the University College of Borås

Textilhögskolan, Högskolan i Borås

[email protected]

Thommy Nilsson MD, JC AB

[email protected]

Ingrid Giertz-Mårtensson MD, Swedish Vision AB

[email protected]

Gunilla Lagnesjö Chief Textile Conservator, Studio of the Western

Sweden Conservators Trust,

Stiftelsen Västsvensk Konservatorsateljé

[email protected]

Lisbeth Svengren Ph Dr, Stockholm University,

Stockholms Universitet

[email protected]

Sven Cele MD, Swedish Textile & Clothing Industries

Association, TEKOindustrierna

[email protected]

Eva Ohlsson MD, The national Swedish handicraft Council,

Nämnden för Hemslöjdsfrågor

[email protected]

Margareta Van Den Bosch Chief of design, H&M

[email protected]

Roger Johansson Chalmers University of Technology,

Chalmers Tekniska Högskola

[email protected]

Chairperson:

Deputy:

Members:

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7Textile Journal

Staffan Lööf Vice, Rector, University College of Borås,

Högskolan i Borås

[email protected]

Lars Engman Chief of design, IKEA of Sweden

[email protected]

Claes Frössén Marketing Direktor, Stiftelsen Svensk

Industridesign

[email protected]

Ewa Kumlin MD, The Swedish Society of Craft and Design,

Föreningen Svensk form

[email protected]

Tor Ahlbom MD, Almedahl-Kinna AB

[email protected]

Larsh Eriksson Managing Director, CTF,

The Swedish School of Textiles at the University

College of Borås

[email protected]

Agneta Nordlund-Andersson Project administrator, CTF

The Swedish School of Textiles at the University

College of Borås

[email protected]@hb.se

Maja Svensson Student Representative, The Swedish School of

Textiles at the University College of Borås

Textilhögskolan, Högskolan i Borås

[email protected]

Additional Members:

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»Nenne ise«- Helene Kask

/MD3 2005

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9Textile Journal

Fashion design: world making - garment making.

Lars Hallnäs

The Swedish School of Textiles, THS

University College of Borås

[email protected]

The Department of Computing Science

Chalmers University of Technology

Clemens Tornqvist

The Swedish School of Textiles, THS

University College of Borås

[email protected]

…intuition and theory

Fashion, on the contrary to how the concept is generally conceived, can readily

be accepted as one of the most conceptual and reflective disciplines housed

by academia, even alongside philosophy and mathematics. However, this inter-

pretation is only possible where theory still bears the meaning of its Greek con-

cept Θεωρια [image, vision], a kind of visioning that totally controls the creator

as a self-evident nature law to the one who once believed he created it. As

such, this visioning, which is no less than the creation of a liveable world,

becomes before its creator[s] to be as normative as any other enforced opus

magnum, requiring a complete surrendering to enjoy its benefits as a theory.

At a first glance this statement might seem to be a grave exaggeration, and a

long shot for the legitimatization for fashion as an academic discipline worthy

the label of science. But this is no so. Not only have archaeologists, sociologist

and historians - who put much of their faith in fashion as a scientific method

through out the western intellectual history, only then to turned their back to it

again in the court of scientific opinion for many decades - reawaken to the new

exotic tribes of urbanism, replacing the by now McDonalized tribes of far away

islands. Also the economists, managers and organizational theorist have over

the past decade devoted fashion an ever increasing attention in its role as a

mediator and diplomat, a translator and adapter, between business and art,

between bourgeois and bohemia, between creation and constructing, when

modelling believed theoretical realities.

Lars Hallnäs, professor in interaction

design at The Swedish School of Textiles,

THS, University College of Borås and

associate professor in computing science

at Chalmers University of Technology.

Clemens Thornqvist is Phd in Design

Management. He is edjucated at the

Swedish Shool of Textiles, THS, with

BA in design, technologi and business

administration.

He is Director of the Fashion Design

Program at THS.

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10 Textile Journal

Just like the achievements of mathematics, as Poincaré

[Poincaré] points out, a theory is as much a creation of an

intuitive visioning, as is it a representative modelling. And it

is this intuitive vision, this central direction and idea,

around which Bergson [Bergson] sees the materialized

concept and philosophical construct, that elevates a

world-theory to a unique reflected vision - separating it

from its purely instrumental counterpart. However, the diff-

ference between the concepts created, the worldmaking

[Goodman], of fashion and that of scientific theories is that

the former makes no claim to be the faith of everyone as a

grand vision, but merely that what it is capable of being -

just as any scientific theory aught to be - a suggestion and

a proposal, liberated from it is normative pretensions.

Such recognition would ultimately place a fashion concept

and a scientific theory on the same philosophical level.

…garment making and world making

Fashion design has its foundation in the design and pro-

duction of garment. Textbooks speak about silhouette,

line, texture and rhythm, contrast, balance etc. respective-

ly as central elements and principles of garment design

(Cf. [Jenkyn Jones], [McKelvey, Munslow]). These notions

refer to basic formal and expressional aspects of garments

and clothing as such.

But fashion design is not only a matter of expressing the

functions of clothing or the form of garments, what we do,

in some sense, is also to express people, i.e. to define

the way in which they present themselves to us. Garment

making becomes world making as we define wearing

intentions (what we do dressing and wearing) through

wearing expressions (what garment does dressing and

expressing us).

As an empirical phenomenon - and problem - fashion has

been the subject for numerous sociological, psychological,

ethnographical, economical studies. Fashion is also cer-

tainly present in art history, cultural studies, there is critical

work in the areas of fashion aesthetics and fashion theory

(Cf. [Barthes], [Breward], [Carter], [Johnson et. al.][Lehmann])

etc. But research as to develop the practice of fashion

design itself in a systematic manner has a more weak

position in academia.

Experimental fashion design, i.e. the haute couture tradi-

tion, anti fashion, deconstruction fashion, techno fashion

etc. (Cf. [Breward], [Gill], [Hollander], [Kim] [Quinn]), is

practice based design research in some sense. But to fur-

ther this as an academic subject there is a clear need for

more work in the area of theoretical foundations; to envi-

sioning the theories that link world making and garment

making and to establish the methods that makes this a

strong force in practice.

The challenge is then not to introduce new theories about

fashion, but to further develop the foundational concepts

that establish fashion design as an academic subject in its

own right. This is basically a matter of design aesthetics

and can never be a derivative of empirical studies in psy-

chology, sociology, market analysis etc. To express peo-

ple; what does it mean from the perspective of design

aesthetics? What concepts do we use to explain this?

What is form and expression all about in this context?

These questions do not ask for the sociology, psychology

or history of dressing, but the logic of fashion design

expression. And central for these expressions are the

mysterious connections that link garment making and

world making; fashion expression is always a matter of

wearing expression.

…fashion design presentation EXIT2005

World making and garment making at EXIT2005 - the final

graduate show at The Swedish School of Textiles 2005.

Twelve fashion students presenting their graduate collec-

tions and graduate worlds. See the garment expressing

people and as conceptual gestalts of the world [making].

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»Casual Friday« - Sofia Johansson

/MD3 2005

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»Haute Route Couture« - Emma Hallgren

/MD3 2005

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»Inferno« - Rickard Lindqvist

/MD3 2005

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»Beyond Minimalism« - Anna Pettersson

/MD3 2005

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»…yours forever, Nadjia« - Helena Larsson

/MD3 2005

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»The secret's fairy tale« - Amy Bondesson

/MD3 2005

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»Shadow of a doubt« - Camilla Jernmark

/MD3 2005

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»Fragment« - Lotta Lindström

/MD3 2005

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»Inside - Outside« - Ellen Haglund

/MD3 2005

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»Business Chic« - Sophia Hedström

/MD3 2005

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» English upper class with a twist «

- Kristin Andersson/MD3 2005

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22 Textile Journal

References

[Barthes] Barthes, R. (1990), The Fashion System,

University of California Press

[Barthes] Bergson, H. (1903/2002) The Creative Mind.

New York: Citadel Press

[Breward] Breward, C. (2003), Fashion, Oxford History of

Art, Oxford University Press

[Carter] Carter M. (2003), Fashion Classics: From Carlyle

to Barthes, Berg

[Gill] Gill, A. (1998), Deconstruction Fashion, Fashion

Theory Volume 2 Issue 1 March

[Goodman] Goodman, N. (1978) Ways of Worldmaking.

Indianapolis: Hackett

[Hollander] Hollander, A. (1993), Seeing through Clothes,

University of California Press

[Jenkyn Jones] Jenkyn Jones, S. (2002), Fashion Design,

Laurence King Publishing

[Johnson et. al.] Johnson, K., Torntorpe, S. J., Eicher, J.

(eds.) (2003), Fashion Foundations - Early Writings on

Fashion and Dress, Berg

[Kim] Kim, S. B. (1998), Is Fashion Art?, Fashion Theory

Volume 2 Issue 1 March

[Lehmann] Lehmann U. (2000), Tigersprung: Fashion in

Modernity, MIT Press

[McKelvey, Munslow] McKelvey, K., Munslow, J. (2003),

Fashion Design - Process, Innovation & Practice, Blackwell

Publishing

[Poincaré] Poincaré, H. (1965) Matematiskt skapande in

Newman, J. R. (1965) Sigma: en matematikens kultur-

historia: Bd 5. Stockholm: Forum

[Quinn] Quinn, B.(2003), Techno Fashion, Berg

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Photo

: C

lem

ens T

horn

qvi

st

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Some notes on photograhy as fashion design

Marcus Bergman

The Swedish School of Textiles, THS

University College of Borås, Sweden

[email protected]

Architectural Department

Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden

Fashion, in its modernistic guise, is intricately linked to visual stimuli brought

about by photography. Fashion and photography influence each-other; what is

fashionable in clothes is visualised through the use of photography, and what is

fashionable in photography is influenced by expressions of clothes. One might

also argue that fashion photography today is impossible to distinguish from

other types of photography – documentary photography, still-life photography

and so forth – which means that we find yet another example of the all pervasi-

ve nature of fashion. The image as such becomes questioned – not because

of manipulation – but because of intent. A photograph that is intended to pro-

mote clothes can just as well take on the same guise as a photograph intended

to document an event. What distinguishes one photograph from another is the-

refore not the actual image, but that which goes into the image. Photography

becomes a matter of information and of context; why is the photograph taken,

and where is it displayed? This, of course, is as most interesting when the

image is spectacular in some sense, as is the case with the photographs of

Oliviero Toscani, but the discussion can be directed at a wide array of photo-

graphs. When images of suffering are used to promote luxury goods, morality

seems to be missing. But the same goes when photographs of suffering are

used exclusively to further the photographer’s career, and only that.

Photography much resembles working with clothes, in that the photographer

makes choices in the same way as the fashion designer does. Primarily, clot-

hes are about dressing the body, and in order for the body to dressed and not

merely covered, fabric needs to be sculpted. In essence, fabric must first be

chosen, then reduced in scale and drape. Photography means – and this is

where it is similar to clothes-making – to choose what goes into the picture and

what does not. This choice is primarily made at the moment of exposure. In

clothes-making, decisions of what parts of the fabric to choose and what parts

to omit are made at the cutting stage. Thereby, photography and clothes-

making both contain a crucial moment – and the values that influence this

moment are what dictates the outcome. Everything else is ornament.

Marcus Bergman is a Ph.D. student at The

Swedish School of Textiles, THS, University

College of Borås in cooperation with the

Department of Architecture at Chalmers

University of Technology. Marcus Bergman's

research deals with reforming design prac-

tice through the unification of ethics,

aesthetics and tradition. He is also a

lecturer at The Swedish School of Textiles.

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26 Textile Journal

When Henri Cartier-Bresson spoke of a “decisive

moment”, he did not only mean that the photographer

should wait for some perfect moment; he included the

photographers’ ability to include himself/herself in the con-

text of the photograph. By being within the photograph,

the photographer can identify the moment among

moments, in which the motif becomes itself. This implies

participation, but only participation to the extent of the

camera. Motif and photographer join forces in creating the

photograph; this takes place inside the laterna magica.

This is a powerful analogy to fashion design. As the deci-

sive moment is present also in fashion design, one can

argue that the garment and the designer join forces in

identifying the moment in which a crucial decision must be

made; to include or to omit becomes a matter of the

designer being present in the situation in which the deci-

sion takes place. The designer should therefore be a part

of the moment of the decision and also be the one

making the decision; just as the photographer is present in

the situation he/she is documenting. There is, thus, a fine

line to be respected here – the one between empathy and

narcissism. The emphatic photographer/designer is able

to be present at the same time as the decisive moment,

without ruining it by influencing it. The narcissistic photo-

grapher/designer steps out of the camera/the design and

is left with only the option of documenting himself/herself.

This immorality is certainly worse than the one that permits

photographs of suffering being used to promote luxury goods.

The widespread use of digital imagery has left photograp-

hic practice in a state where the very image can be

questioned as such. A photograph, once an evidence of

this or that, is now little more than a representation of

something that might be real, or might as well belong be

construed in the digital realm. There are many desirable

things in regard to this development; advanced image

making is no longer reserved for professionals and new

ways of creating images are therefore likely to emerge.

Similar development occurred when hand-held cameras

became goods that ordinary people could buy and use;

not to mention the obvious joys of letting children playing

with brushes and paint, once the tools of skilled painters

only. But at the same time, the digital does mean the intro-

duction of programming into the system of bringing about

a photograph. These programs are present in the camera

that processes the information in order to create an image

file, the computer that handles the file that is the realm in

which the image exists and the tools used to display the

image file in a format that is recognisable to us a photo-

graph. In the semantic meaning of the word, the file is of

course a photograph, in essence a painting in light. But in

our understanding of what the photograph essentially is, I

dare to say that we do not include such things as image

bank programming for the determination of aperture and

shutter ratios, nor do we include the algorithms used to

determine colour and shade in computer representation of

imagery. And – foremost – we tend to think of the photo-

graph as a singular being, the print being a copy of the

original negative, meaning that there exists, somewhere,

an original file to each photograph, one that is also eviden-

ce of what really happened inside the magic box.

When American photographers in the 1910s and 20s

fought to make photography accepted by the public as an

art form on its own, it became apparent that photography

would always be considered inferior to painting if it could

not remain true to its own system of making images. Up

until then, photographers had generally tried to make pho-

tographs appear as close to paintings as possible. The

work carried out by individual photographers and in

groups brought about a new status for photography, and

greatly contributed to the way people at the time looked

on social phenomena (as is the case with the photo-

graphs by Paul Strand) and at nature (the photographs by

Ansel Adams). The explosive power of the photograph in

this regard could probably be attributed to the view of it as

being an image originating in something actually existing,

in essence a true art form and to the photographs them-

selves becoming of radically higher technical quality due to

exposure and development methods developed by the

likes of Ansel Adams and utilised in contexts such as the

f64 group. This way, the photograph as such went from an

inferior artistic object to one that was considered true art.

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In this, there are similarities in reference to reforming

fashion design. If a garment is to be accepted in the same

category as art, it needs to come into being on its own

terms and not as merely some comment or critique. Still, it

needs to withhold some trueness in regard to its concep-

tion, meaning that if it is meant to be a comment or some

critique, it should retain these qualities. Therefore, critical

fashion design can not be a case of either/or. It should be

a question of this/and. This poses a great design chall-

lenge; that of retaining – throughout the production of an

object – some values that are linked to its conception.

One way of coming to terms with this challenge is to use

photography as a design method, rather than relying on

design by drawing, the preferred modus operandi in ortho-

dox design. Since photography – as referred to above –

deals with bringing the photographer and the motif toget-

her in some decisive moment, the designer of clothes

would be able to use photographic documentation to

obtain an artefact that not only depicts a garment, but

depicts the decisive moment that represents the basis for

decisions taken in the – likewise – decisive moment of

cutting the fabric. The photograph, then, becomes a way

of sketching that is goes beyond the trial of ideas and

moves towards documenting ideas. In order for this to

become meaningful, the photographs should retain narrati-

ve aspects in relation to their motifs, meaning that photo-

graphy as a design tool becomes something very different

from photography as a way of showing clothes.

A great advantage of using photography as a design met-

hod is that it contains an undeniable element of time; the

photograph is exposed in a specific fragment of time,

meaning that the decisive moment is specifically one

moment, and not several, as is the case in for example

painting or sketching. This brings the time factor into the

design process, meaning that the photographic sketch or

photographic design brief can serve as a manifest object

that transcends the gaps between sketch, prototype and

product that is apparent in fields like clothing design and

architecture, for example, due to the problems associated

with translating two-dimensional sketches into three-

dimensional objects. Naturally, these problems are treated

in the use of a wide plethora of design methods, origina-

ting in the art of drawing. But there is very little done on

the subject of providing alternative notions to design by

drawing. Still, this prevailing method of design can be

questioned by thinking of, for example, a writer that imagi-

nes a scene taking place in a house. If he, or she, is able

to imagine the house in sufficient detail, has he or she

then not in fact designed the house? By this, one can

argue that the poetic impulse is just as much design as is

the pen put to paper.

In orthodox design, this or that product relates conceptu-

ally to a system of choices in relation only to representa-

tions – a sketch, a model or any other visual mean of pre-

senting a design. These choices are based on questions;

should one do this or that, meaning that choice gives way

to dichotomy early on in the standard design process.

These dichotomies often form the base of debates on

design – meaning that design debate is often about

design process rather than about the actual objects .

Maybe this is the reason why so many design conferen-

ces end up in meaningless chatter on how to define the

word “design”.

This is a serious problem. If the dichotomies prevailing in

orthodox design by drawing are allowed to remain the basis

of debate on actual objects, we run the risk of letting repre-

sentations become foundational elements in in the process

of materialising the societal systems that stem from design/

objects, meaning that no true basis of debate or critique

can be found. This also means that designers can continue

to influence their clients to produce objects that are of cer-

tain qualities because of concepts based on representa-

tions rather than ideas. Since a representation can never be

clear or simple enough, design as an influence on society is

running a risk of becoming increasingly simplistic. This

especially so in the age of mechanised design within comp-

uterised systems. This needs to be addressed – and inde-

ed questioned. The way to do this, I believe, is through

examples of design that is thoughtful, complex and narrati-

ve as opposed to mechanised, simple and representative.

Including photography in the design process is one example

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of thoughtful and complex design practice.

Today, there is much talk of “excellent objects”. It is worth

to bear in mind, then, that the mystery of excellence

remains mysterious only as long as quantifiable qualities

are allowed to reign supreme in the process of generating

ideas and designs at the foundation of a project resulting

in a ready product. When story-telling is added after the

product is produced, then matters get even worse, as the

product enters the realm of one-sided mythology, where

marketers and designers join hands in creating products

that seldom invite to great concern. The poetic nature of

the photograph can easily serve as an introduction of

complexity in design practice – the very antidote to the

grave and macabre condition many designers suffer from

– that which results in the killing of darlings.

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31Textile Journal

Nature as a source of colors

And its use in Upholstery fabric design

Mohamed Mitwally Amer

Department of Textile Faculty of Applied arts, Helwan University, Egypt

Tarek Saleh Said Saleh

Department of Textile Faculty of Applied arts, Helwan University, Egypt

Abstract

Jacquard weaving provides the opportunity to design complex pictorial and

other patterning effects

From the combination of warp and weft colors and /weaves. In the traditional

fabric design process, the resultant visual perception of the design, using diffe-

rent colored yarns, can be attained only through the production of actual physi-

cal fabric sample, and this is every time consuming process. No truly accurate

digital color methodology is yet available to assist designers in the initial deve-

lopment of product samples. Currently, there is very poor correlation between

the color that is shown on the screen and the actual weave structure.

On The following research we back to the nature as a main source of colors by

using digital photos of several nature sources such as water, grass, clouds,

sunrise, and sunset…..ECT.

And by analyzing colors for this natural sources by the computer processes to

implement color data base to be reference for the designer helping him to

select warp and weft colors also the mix between warp and weft from several

color verities and use the correct weaves to rich this color.

Experimental work:

The researchers select some patterns from nature sources to be an example

for the application directed to jacquard upholstery fabrics.

Colors selection:

- Select warp colors.

To select warp color from the data base established by the computer process-

ses designer should select (X) parameters based on the weaving technique

used for producing the upholstery fabric the number of warp colors should

match with the fabric specification and according to the weave construction.

Also the designer should specify the percentage of warp color appearance on

the fabric buy presenting suggested specification to implement the correct

fabric simulation in the warp direction.

- Select weft colors.

To select weft color from the data base established by the computer processes

designer should select (Y) parameters based on the weaving technique used

for producing the upholstery fabric the number of weft colors should match

Mohamed Mitwally Amer, PhD, is a

Associate Professor of Textile Design,

Textile Department (spinning, weaving and

knitting), Faculty of applied art at Helman

University, Egypt. Member of board Textile

Department. Industrial Consultant of the

textile sector and culture ministry in Egypt.

Tarek Saleh Said Saleh, PhD, is a

Associate Professor of Jacqard fabric

Design, Textile Department, Faculty of

applied art at Helman University, Egypt.

Member of board Textile Department.

Industrial Consultant of Foreign trade &

industry ministry in Egypt.

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with the fabric specification and according to the weave

construction. Also the designer should specify the percen-

tage of weft color appearance on the fabric buy presenting

suggested specification to implement the correct fabric

simulation in the weft direction.

Applications on some upholstery design samples:

Researches have selected 1 upholstery fabric design patt-

tern and implement the results of natural colors data base

which generated by computer processes selecting warp /

weft colors also selecting weave construction and applica-

tion methods [decorative regular warp and weft]

Produced on jacquard loom.

Jacquard weaving:

Selected patterns from nature:

• Sources of cool colors:

- Sky Clouds.

- Water Ice.

- Grass.

- Colors selection mechanism:

• Analyzing colors :

- Clouds:

Following tables analyses for the clouds color sources

Table 1 Table 2 Table 3

- Table 1 computer color analyses for Fig 1.

- Table 2 computer color analyses for Fig 2.

- Table 3 computer color analyses for Fig 3.Figure 3

Figure 2

Figure 1

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• Sources of warm colors:

- Sand & Stones.

- Stones:

Following tables analyses for the Stones color sources

Table 4 Table 5

- Table 4 computer color analyses for Fig 4.

- Table 5 computer color analyses for Fig 5.

Figure 5

Figure 4

Figure 6

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34 Textile Journal

• Foliage:

- Foliage:

Following tables analyses for the Foliage color sources

Table 6 Table 7 Table 8

- Table 6 computer color analyses for Fig 7.

- Table 7 computer color analyses for Fig 8.

- Table 8 computer color analyses for Fig 9.

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

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• Sources of multi colors:

- Flowers.

- Fruits & Vegetables.

- Trees shrubs.

- Trees :

Following tables analyses for the Trees color sources

Table 9 Table 10 Table 11

- Table 9 computer color analyses for Fig 10.

- Table 10 computer color analyses for Fig 11.

- Table 11 computer color analyses for Fig 12.

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

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• Colors varieties :

As per the basic low of color theory there was 3 basic

colors which this colors is the main base for all graded

colors this colors are:

- Cyan. [C]

- Magenta. [M]

- Yellow. [Y]

This 3 colors share on color cube which is virtual grading

system using white and Black for brightness or darkness

color value.

This graded colors implemented on (X) and (Y) axis

according to the selected axis from the color cube.

Brightness should be controlled on both (X) and (Y) axis

according to the percentage of white and black. (Table 12)

• Color Mix according to the basic low of color theory:

According to the basic low of color theory there was gra-

ded colors created on each slide of color cube based on

the selected axis primary colors from the basic 3 colors -

each time there was 1 color on each axe and by using

white and black we can control brightness and darkens

according the percentage of each of them and this can

control the color hue. (Table 13).

Table 12 Table 13

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• Colors selection:

- Select warp colors.

To select warp color from the data base established by

the computer processes designer should select (X)

parameters based on the weaving technique used for

producing the upholstery fabric the number of warp colors

should match with the fabric specification and according

to the weave construction. Also the designer should

specify the percentage of warp color appearance on the

fabric buy presenting suggested specification to imple-

ment the correct fabric simulation in the warp direction.

- Select weft colors.

To select weft color from the data base established by the

computer processes designer should select (Y) parame-

ters based on the weaving technique used for producing

the upholstery fabric the number of weft colors should

match with the fabric specification and according to the

weave construction. Also the designer should specify the

percentage of weft color appearance on the fabric buy

presenting suggested specification to implement the

correct fabric simulation in the weft direction.

• Arranging color plan:

- Specifying weave constructions.

- Rolls of color mix between warp & weft.

- Constants [Fixed constants]

- Alternatives.

• Applications on some upholstery design samples:

Researches have selected 1 upholstery fabric design patt-

tern and implement the results of natural colors data base

which generated by computer processes selecting warp /

weft colors also selecting weave construction and applica-

tion methods [decorative regular warp and weft]

Produced on jacquard loom..

Following some practice for using natural colors data base:

Clouds:

Table 14

Figure 13

Weave construction

- Weft Satin 5.

- Weft Satin 5+1Mark

- Weft Satin 5+2Marks

- Warp Satin 5

- Plain 1/1

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- Stones: - Trees:

Table 16

Figure 15

Weave construction

- Weft Satin 5.

- Weft Satin 5+1Mark

- Weft Satin 5+2Marks

- Warp Satin 5

- Plain 1/1

Table 15

Figure 13

Weave construction

- Weft Satin 5.

- Weft Satin 5+1Mark

- Weft Satin 5+2Marks

- Warp Satin 5

- Plain 1/1

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- Foliage: • Result and Discussions:

1- The researchers established computer analyzing

technique to analyze colors from natural sources.

2- Based on this technique they can present color data

base for some natural items which can use in all

product design fields.

3- Color data base implemented to use on upholstery

fabric design giving the designer unlimited source

of colors.

4- Based on color plan presented on this research we

transferred the selecting of warp and weft color using

(X) and (Y) axis and selecting visual color blind ratio

based on weave construction. (As a virtual selection)

5- The research can be applied in textile design education

as basic step before using Cad/Cam systems.

• References:

1- Harald Kueppers ; The basic law of color theory,

Barron's New York 1980

2- Harald Kueppers ; Color Atlas, Barron's New York 1982

3- William Watson ; Textile Design and colour, Ariel 1996

4- Alan Donaldson/NCSU - Jacquard Fabrics on Demand,

NTC Project , F03-NS03s.

http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/project/ntcprojects/

projects/F03-NS03/

5- Tarek Saleh; Design principals - Colors - lecture's

chain -Faculty of applied arts 2002/2003.

Table 17

Figure 16

Weave construction

- Weft Satin 5.

- Weft Satin 5+1Mark

- Weft Satin 5+2Marks

- Warp Satin 5

- Plain 1/1

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41Textile Journal

The fashion design project and strategic boundaries

Creativity as freedom or brand as drive of creativity?

Barbara Trebitsch

Domus Academy, Milan, Italy

[email protected]

Premises

In Domus Academy the evolution of the professional path of a fashion designer

has always been a central point, together with a constant research on different

approaches to the field of project.

During the first years of experience at the beginning of the Eighties, the educa-

tional role of the school was intended to bring conceptual and wider views to

young designers looking for a development of their own approach, research

and style.

This innovative method - in a period in which the fashion designer was mostly

considered as a talented professional very targeted toward an easy market, in

which the young institutions dedicated to fashion were working upon very tech-

nical not cultural bases, in a Country as Italy symbol of an emerging fashion

phenomena, - was particularly brave and in some sense it produced many

interesting designers that were often misunderstood by companies still not

ready to accept their freedom approach.

The evolution of the Nineties and then of the new century led the fashion cour-

se to a second phase in which the balance between market and creativity

became the main object of our activity.

Barbara Trebitsch is a fashion designer and trend

searcher. She is director for mastercourse in

Fashion Design and mastercourse in Accessories

Design at Domus Academy, Milan, Italy

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Sketch by Angela Gilbert, student of the

fashion design Masters course 2003 and it

was part of a project held in collaboration with

Victor Victoria brand and Neil Barrett.

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The new role of the fashion designer

Fashion design is becoming every season more and more

a matter of creativity emerging from boundaries, boundari-

es generated by market needs, timing and costs of pro-

duction, the need for innovation and the need of the

investors for warranties. Such a situation sounds negative

for young talents that are facing for the first time the field,

even though the space that many majors are lacking is

creating appealing intersections of intervention.

Considering what the last few years have shown, the short

breath of many companies in terms of imposing the sell

out to buyers already struggled by fixed budget of the

most prestigious international brands, we notice an evol-

ving situation in which the most interesting multi brand

stores are looking for innovative and not too published

designers in order to play a role of talent scouts and offer

their client, together with the renowned quality of the big

ones, the novelty and the freshness together with the

diversity of the youngsters. This does not obviously mean

that a young talented designer can think of producing his

own line immediately, without connections with the field

and particularly without having achieved a professional

experience on site, but it leaves open a good chance to

the ones that will be able to become manager of themsel-

ves. More and more the actual successful designers have

gone through this path and some of them are still mana-

ging consultancies for brands in order to sustain their own

lines, this situation is underlining one more time on how

many different approach should be part of the intellectual

and professional heritage of a designer for the future.

Trends are only a vague memory, research is driving the

most interesting and updated lines, a research that is ari-

sing from personal culture and interests as well as from

disciplines such as philosophy, anthropology, psychology

to arrive to the world of contemporary art and cinema as

well as social themes. The sensitivity of a designer is now

into the ability of perceiving these signs to reconstruct a

reality that has to have a meaning. Moreover management

capability within a globalised fashion system is imposing to

think at collections in which the seasonal aspect is someti-

mes a problem, in which sizes are different as well as the

weather from one continent to another. Price problems

and communication issues are as important as good

design along with all the aspects composing a brand.

Obviously, unless a designer is not intended to become

manager of himself, nobody will ask him/her to cover all

these roles in a company even though the designer will

always have to keep all this issues in mind while desig-

ning. These are the reasons why an advanced educational

path in this field cannot be considered exhaustive without

taking into serious consideration all these elements.

What fashion brands are looking for

According to these issues the course has developed in

the last few years an approach toward the project that, if

still and even more guaranteeing the freedom and the cre-

ativity of the designer and preserving the conceptual

aspects has found in the collaboration with companies

and designers an excellent path for the training of the

masters students. The idea of reconstructing the outside

model, with a specific link to the territory, has given life to

a series of interesting collaborations and seminars.

Projects in collaboration with companies have always seen

the participation of interesting designers as project lea-

ders, designers that have never collaborated with the

brand before they met in DA. The twin project held in this

way, is intended to support the personal growth of the stu-

dents asked to face different realities and opinions at one

time, to meet the opinion of the managing director of a

company with the opinion of the designer, and find

through these information their own path, approach and

philosophy. We have also realized that the contribution of

companies in terms of information and growth, gets more

and more important according to the internationality of the

participants of the course arrived in our country, to better

know and understand an Italian system that has deeply

changed and that results difficult to explain on a theoretical

basis. The balance between designers creativity and

expressed, and even more, unexpressed Brand needs is

the red line dividing good professionals from still immature

designers, their ability to express and communicate their

ideas, projects, products and prototypes is a very impor-

tant training in order to prepare them to run a successful

collaboration. The quality of brands referring to a school

44 Textile Journal

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has also changed during the years; more and more, com-

panies and managers have understood that it is only

through the collaboration with the training system that they

will find the right people to renown their activity. Not only

are these brands, these companies looking for creative

ideas, they are not looking for a nice garment or accesso-

ry to be immediately produced: they are looking for people

they want to deal with in professional terms, getting to

know each others to built the success of the company

with them.

The request from brands - this might sound ironical consi-

dering the actual and long lasting crisis of the field - is to

find designers to integrate in their company: scouting the

good ones that are always the more free and advanced.

The development of a multifaceted design approach

According to this experience we can say that a multiface-

ted design approach is not simply a multi-disciplinary fac-

tor, but an issue related to a multi cultural expression in

terms of continuous updating of information and to a

developed process of method that is arising both from the

culture of project of the architectural field and from the

sensitivity, aerials to get all information and reinvent them in

creative and feasible terms. Many symposium and confe-

rences as well as books have been held on the theme of

fashion professions, the needs of companies and the

aspirations of young students. The problem is not easily

solved; many people in a naive way think the solution is to

convince the youngsters interested in being fashion desig-

ners to focus their attention and studies on more technical

professions as pattern maker. The problem that sounds

awkward in this particular moment of crisis, is that chang-

ing specialization, even offering more immediate opportuni-

ties will not satisfy the young aspirations and will not fulfil a

request for advanced design that, right because of the cri-

sis, is becoming more and more pressing. Obviously, par-

ticularly in Italy, the fashion system is starting to lack impor-

tant figures in technical know how with no heirs, but the

starting point, the way these professions are faced is still

old and it needs a deep reconstruction thinking that the

designer figure being important but not a soloist will need

more and more a team developing work in order to be

successful. The designer, as the drive for the collection

and the communication philosophy, will also have to

sustain and keep his/her preparation updated in technolo-

gies, from fabrics up until construction, in order to stimula-

te a work in progress in which discoveries can be driven

by all the actors.

Conclusions

This short text cannot obviously be exhaustive about a

theme that would need much more time and discussion in

order to be properly explored. What remains is the certitu-

de that these issues, too many times not properly taken

into consideration, are messages, messages we send

every day, that we receive every day from the medias in

which no hope for talent and creativity is visible. The

message - I do firmly believe this - is that the positive way

of facing such a complex reality, is to understand pro-

blems and face them without forgetting that a proper solu-

tion is rarely immediate. Our role, as designers and as

educators is still to open windows of open-minded creati-

vity building up models as well as future professionals

aware of the complexity in which they will operate, but

struggling to be the ones that will give their own answer

and proposal to the global context.

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Smart Textiles - what for and why?

Lena Berglin 1, 2, Marion Ellwanger 1, Lars Hallnäs 1, 2

Linda Worbin 1, 2, Margareta Zetterblom 1, 2

1 The Swedish School of Textiles, THS

University College of Borås

2 Department of Computer Science and Engineering

Chalmers University of Technology

Progress in the area of Smart Textiles will to some extent depend on how

successful we are in combining theoretical and experimental work in several

rather different disciplines; from material sciences, electronics and computer

science to textile technology and textile design. It is possible to organize such

interdisciplinary research in an efficient and meaningful way by systematically

relating specific projects and research issues to the basic questions of what

(characterization), how (principles of construction), and why (functionality) with

respect to a given type of “smart” behaviour, i.e. dynamic, analytical, adaptive

behaviour etc. This is all somehow clear with respect to issues of technology,

but what does it mean from the perspective of design? In what way will the

introduction of Smart Textiles change the notion of a “textile” product? In what

way will the introduction of Smart Textiles change the textile- and fashion

design professions?

It is clear that experimental product design can link all the different aspects,

which appear in interdisciplinary Smart Textile projects, integrate them and

express them through a product, i.e. clothing for extreme working conditions,

textiles for technical applications and interior design, medical applications, tech-

no fashion and new types of sports wear etc. (Cf. [Van Langenhove]). Design

work in this context will then be situated in the intersection between textile- and

fashion design and interaction design. This will also have impact on the pro-

ducts themselves with respect to what they are. There is a need here to focus

on the basic questions of what, how and why also from a product and design

perspective; what is really a Smart Textiles product? What type of new design

methods do we need to develop? What are the basic needs and interests that

motivate such products?

Lena Berglin has a Master of Science in

Interaction design and also a degree from

Textile Design from the Swedish School of

Textiles, THS, University College of Borås.

She has been working for several companies

as a designer, mainly in the field of extreme

clothing. Lena is now a PhD student at the

Swedish School of textiles and the research

theme is smart textiles, the field were textile

technology is combined with computing

technology. The research is focused around

two areas: Gloves and Communication and

Medical Technology and Clothing.

Marion Ellwanger is a professor for smart

textile design research at The Swedish

School of Textiles, THS, University College

of Borås in since 2004 and also work as a

freelance textile designer in Germany.

Lars Hallnäs, professor in interaction

design at The Swedish School of Textiles,

THS, University College of Borås and

associate professor in computing science

at Chalmers University of Technology.

Linda Worbin is currently a PhD student in

Smart Textiles and Interaction Design at

the Swedish School of Textiles, University

College of Borås in cooperation with the

Department of Computer Science and

Engineering at Chalmers University of

Technology. She is developing working

prototypes of dynamically changing textile

patterns to extend understanding the

usage and aesthetics of textile patterns in

the area of Smart Textiles.

Margareta Zetterblom is a PhD student in

Smart Textiles and Interaction Design at

the Swedish School of Textiles, University

College of Borås in cooperation with the

Department of Computer Science and

Engineering at Chalmers University of

Technology. She is working with fabrics as

interactive acoustic absorbers.

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…introducing the new textile products

The new Smart Textiles products introduce a shift from

passive functionality to active behaviour (Cf. [Berglin1,2],

[Jacobs, Worbin], [Landin, Worbin]). This means that the

dimension of time will be more important in textile- and

fashion design. Form is then no longer only a matter of

spatial shape, but it also concerns the temporal structures

of interactive behaviour. The basic issue here is how future

textile- and fashion design will answer to this call for inte-

gration and development and nourish the possibilities that

lie in this shift. A successful development implies that the

notion of textile materials and technology will change. But

along with that basic design aesthetics also have to chan-

ge; these new products will depend on a partly new type

of expressiveness (Cf. [Hallnäs, Redström]).

…transforming the textile- and fashion design professions

Smart Textiles will transform the craft- and profession of

textile- and fashion design. It is a new type of materials

that through computational technology makes the material

basis of the design process somewhat more abstract;

dynamic patterns, reaction behaviours etc that just like

music only “exists” in performance, through use, in time.

This will change the way we work and it asks for new

basic skills and new types of background knowledge. To

master the basic means of expression should textile- and

fashion designers study programming, mathematics and

more of technology in the future? Or are new types of

design teams a more natural and reasonable solution? A

basic obstacle here is what meaning we then should give

to the mastering of our basic means of design expression.

It is clear that design by drawing cannot retain its promi-

nent foundational role. The introduction of an explicit time

dimension will makes the design more abstract and more

complex (Cf. Jones discussion about complex design pro-

blems in [Jones]). Interaction design will probably be of

some importance also in the textile- and fashion design

process in the future, which also will imply a change in

teaching methods.

…making textile- and fashion design part of modern

high-tech industrial design

As we extend the notion of textile materials and technolo-

gy by developing new materials and techniques and by

the integration of for example digital functionality in textile

structures textile- and fashion design draws nearer to

high-tech industrial design. Does this mean that for exam-

ple fashion design to some extent also draws nearer to

product design? The introduction of new types of functio-

nalities and of an explicit notion of behaviour changes the

notion of a textile product and will most certainly also

change our behaviour with respect to use, re-use, manu-

facturing and trade.

References

[Berglin1] Berglin L., Wanted - A Textile Mobile Device,

IMTEX 2004

[Berglin2] L. Berglin L., Spookies: Combining Smart

Materials and Information Technology in an Interactive Toy,

IDC2005 4th International Conference for Interaction

Design and Children 2005

[Hallnäs, Redström] Hallnäs L., Redström J., From Use to

Presence; On the Expressions and Aesthetics of Everyday

Computational Things, ACM Transactions on Computer-

Human Interaction (TOCHI)- Special Issue on the New

Usability Vol. 9, No. 2, 2002

[Jacobs, Worbin] Jacobs M., Worbin L., Reach: Dynamic

Textile Patterns for Communication and Social Expression,

Proceedings of CHI2005, ACM Press

[Jones] J. C. Jones, Design Methods, Wiley 1992

[Landin, Worbin] H. Landin, L. Worbin, Fabrications by

Creative Dynamic Patterns. Proceedings Pixelraiders 2,

April 6-8 2004, Sheffield Hallan University, UK

[Van Langenhove] Van Langenhove L., Hertleer C., Smart

Clothing: A New Life, International Journal of Clothing

Science and Technology 2004

49Textile Journal

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Textile Disobedience

When textile patterns start to interact

Linda Worbin

The Swedish School of Textiles, THS

University College of Borås, Sweden

E-mail: [email protected]

Department of Computer Science and Engineering

Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden

In this paper we look into the future of textile patterns in relation to so called

Smart Textiles; textiles with qualities adapting to the environment, change

colour, send signals, transform and change shape etc.

We show a series of experimental prototypes within the theme of Textile

Disobedience; textile patterns that do not really behave as we are used to.

In accompanying reflections we discuss technical and aesthetical issues of a

more general interest. These experiments include textile patterns that can

change from stripes into squares (depending on power on/off) and patterns

with hidden messages to search and reveal for the user. The materials used

are both Smart Textiles materials like thermo-chromic ink (a material reacting

with a change of colour when heated) and a different conductive and heat

emitting materials, as well as traditional textile techniques and materials.

By working with Smart textile and learn about their extended properties one

learn both about new material but also extend the knowledge about more

familiar material and use. The new material helps to think, re-think.

The intention of this work is to develop textile design where new types of

materials and techniques bring us to the border between traditional textile

design and the area of interaction design, Smart Textile materials open up for

a new way of creating and thus using the aesthetic pattern.

What happens when a decoration starts to interact?

The textile area is slowly changing due to the introduction of a new range of

textile materials, so called Smart Textiles. Within this area new types of textile

materials are presently introduced; it can be conductive textile materials, colour-

changing materials that react to environmental stimuli, or various shape memory

materials. This development of materials within the area of Smart Textiles opens

up for new ways of creating aesthetic patterns. This project deals with a strong

curiosity over designing with new materials. The intention is to raise questions

of how we may or may not use and design textile patterns and decorations

in the future.

Linda Worbin is currently a PhD student in

Smart Textiles and Interaction Design at

the Swedish School of Textiles, THS,

University College of Borås in cooperation

with the Department of Computer Science

and Engineering at Chalmers University of

Technology.

She is developing working prototypes of

dynamically changing textile patterns to

extend understanding the usage and

aesthetics of textile patterns in the area of

Smart Textiles.

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The types of experiments presented in this article are

experimental designs using methodological component in

a practice-based design research on textile design in the

area of Smart Textiles. We work with systematic creation

to exemplify different kinds of textile patterns where both

aesthetics and materiality are emphasized, in order to

make basic textile pattern characteristics even more

distinct and visible.

Traditional textile patterns made of well known designers

like William Morris, Josef Frank or Astrid Sampe were

made with the intention to stay “static”. The printed pattern

was meant to be in the same shape and colour as the ori-

ginal design drawing. Both now and then design did follow

trends and values in society. Morris is proposing that he

made textile as well as wallpaper designs to be able to

decorate his medieval inspired house. What he did was

creating retro inspired design to achieve an atmosphere

from an earlier time.

Projects concerning the development of Smart Textiles

have been going on for some years now and one of the

most important projects for the area of dynamic textile

patterns is the work E-broidery: Design and fabrication of

textile-based computing. (Post, 2000). The project investi-

gates conductivity in textiles by building a range of different

prototypes. To mention some of the prototypes there is

the Electronic Tablecloth. It is a tablecloth whit sensors on

the surface that invites users to interact with a computer,

and whit other people through an interactive piece of furni-

ture. Another is the Music Jacket whit embroidered butt-

tons and circuits onto the jacket fabric that allow the user

to play music. In this example the technology is applied

onto an already existing object. Other projects in the work

are called; Row and column fabric keyboard, Firefly Dress,

Music Balls and No Soap Radio. These projects are (from

a textile designers perspective) focusing on how to pick

up signals and transmit them into textile material. This

seems to be the first documented project not showing

how to build electronically circuits but how to fabricate

(weave or embroider) them.

There are nowadays some commercial companies building

on this knowledge. They are producing textiles with elec-

tronics integrated directly in the fabric. For example there

is a mobile phone made at the company Elexen (1), that is

a mobile phone made out of fabric (not totally) but the

phone contains a conductive textile keyboard. Another

project concerning dynamic textile pattern, is a project

made at International Fashion Machines (2), their product

Pending Electric Plaid is an art piece that “changes colour

like a computer display” made as wall hangings that can

change colour and pattern over time. There are also pro-

jects with dynamic textile patterns that never change back

to its origin look. One example is a bag made by Fashion

Victims (3) where the textile pattern is made from leaking

ink stored inside a bag.

So, what happens when decoration starts to interact? By

looking at the mentioned examples, a dynamic decoration

gets an extended use. Many existing dynamic patterns

change from one to another, and there is still a range of

unexplored ways in the making of dynamic textile pattern.

This will be further presented in a basic way, starting with a

look at the traditions of making textile patterns.

Is it always wrong to do wrong?

The textile industry (most often) strive for knowing exact

what colour and shape that will appear on the fabric, for

how long time the colour will stay and for how many was-

hes. This is important to know in advance. When making

sketches for an industrially made print or weave the design

already needs to be decided and planned in detail long

before making the actual item. But sometimes the fabric

does not turn out to be what the designer thought it would

be. Sometimes it can be an expensive mistakes or it can

turn out to be a fantastic development.

It is not always wrong to do the wrong thing. In being able

to take part during the production process and learn about

limitations, one can take part and develop. A common

way is unfortunately that a design for a fabric is draw by

hand on paper or using a computer. Then the design is

left to another person in the producing process. This can

be compared with the way to work in handcraft, when you

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work with your design and can follow the material and the

tools that are used in a totally different way and take

advantage of a mistake. Because we have such an exten-

sive knowledge from the industry of screen printing it often

works rather well to translate a design from paper to

fabric, but what about new smart materials with unknown

properties? When it comes to a material that neither the

designers nor the manufacturer have knowledge of it does

not work in that way. Neither do we have knowledge about

what these materials can offer us that the more traditional

cant. To be able to develop new kinds of designs and

fabrics in smart textiles it is of great importance to work in

an experimental way and take advantage of the “mista-

kes”. The prototypes that will be presented in this article

are made in close conjunction with a handicraft studio work

and some parts are made close to industrial processes.

Today, it is of great importance to work with a more experi-

mental approach to the industry to be able to find a fitting

way of using our knowledge and development in a range

of different fields. We are just in the beginning of a new

era of textiles. The so-called Smart Textiles are to create a

new discipline. Textiles that formerly have been separated

from computational technology are now together opening

up for a new paradigm in textiles. Nowadays combinations

of textiles and computational technology are, in the making

of fabrics, a tool for design and way of speeding up pro-

duction. But now the computational technology is attemp-

ted to be an active part even after the production, it will be

a part of the fabric during use.

To be able to use and create fabrics in this new textile era

it is important to do basic research in the making of textile

patterns to be able to understand what new possibilities is

offered today, and extend these. Not to forget to take

advantages of mistakes.

Textile Disobedience

The project Textile Disobedience started with looking at the

obvious in decorations, and trying to understand what the

objects or/and decorations actually are doing. As well as

what we humans are doing with them. By making the invi-

sible visible, new ideas appeared. To give one example, a

tablecloth was made with an extreme decoration on top,

made in swell paint, so the use of a piece of fabric to

place porcelain on top was almost impossible. It turned

out to be a tablecloth that prohibits the placing of small

items that need to be standing up.

The theme Textile Disobedience gave inspiration to a certain

approach to handling and creating textile patterns. Questions

during the process have been about use, misuse and anti

use, to highlight specific details of how we use textiles and

these eventually decorations. The intention was to learn

about traditional decorations and textiles properties, to be able

to further extend the use of the new so-called Smart Textiles.

Our movements, impressions and feelings are in a way

programmed (learned). Our pre-understanding for objects

makes us use them in different ways, how you do

depends on many different aspects, social and cultural.

Thoughts and ideas about objects that do or do not do

what is expected are presented in Hertzial Tales (Dunne,

1999). It is in many ways fruitful to question how we use

different types of objects and services in a time like ours,

just like in all the past times. In our time the “new” techno-

logy is driven by computational technology. With that, all

other areas are further developed from our new perspecti-

ves, for better or worse, as always.

One source of inspiration is “do-it-yourself” pictures by

Andy Warhol and paint by number drawing books. The

idea with that kind of paintings is to engage the user to do

something by themselves, an invitation to engagement

and action. These are interesting properties to bring into

textiles, both in order to make people a part of creating a

textile pattern (after it is produced) and to add a non static

decoration to a textile. Today textiles are relatively cheap

and material used to quickly change an environment.

Cheap mass-produced textiles are unfortunately about to

make textile tradition loose its former status through

commercial interests in producing many different decora-

tions and encouraging consumers to buy something new,

to fulfil the need of a change.

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Textile design is often about function or an aesthetic deco-

ration. One need is placed in the first range of priorities.

When buying a curtain, first priorities is many times about

what kind of decoration to choose to your existing taste in

home decoration, you may even get a separate roller blind

just to block out the sun light. But happily this is to be a

passing trend, just like form and function became one, or

didn't it? Can we start to talk about “aesthetic expression

and computation” in the same way?

By making a number of design examples of both dynamic

and static textile patterns, both properties in the material

and in the design of the pattern has been investigated. A

decorative dynamic textile pattern involves more than a

static decoration. Its ability to change it will involve two or

more expressions.

What is a decoration and how do we act in relation to it?

By reflecting upon how we use and create textile patterns

and stirving to illustrate the “invisible obvious” knowledge,

some first experiment were made. In this first stage only

“traditional” materials were used. The intentions were to

learn more about the “invisible obvious” and then bring

that knowledge into new so called smart materials. All pro-

totypes were made in the context of a table, that was a

choice made because it is an area that many people have

a relation to, it is a historical object and used together with

other objects. Tables, tablecloths and porcelain form a

system that has been interesting to have as a frame for

the experiments.

The tablecloths are called; the FallingCloth, the

StructureCloth and the TraditionalCloth.

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FallingCloth 2003 is an experiment in how we use deco-

ration to place an object on top of another. In this case it

is a tablecloth that is placed onto a table. The decoration

on the tablecloth is aesthetically made as an ordinary

decoration, and in this case as a decoration hanging as a

border around a tablecloth. The decorative border is

making/helping you to place the tablecloth in a specific

direction on the table, in a symmetrical way. And when

you do so with this FallingCloth it will fall to the ground. It is

not a very useful tablecloth in that sense. If you want to

keep it on the table it needs to be placed in an asymmetric

way. This experiment shows what a decoration can actually

do, in spite of being a decoration. Most often the decora-

tion makes the user place the tablecloth in a specific way.

Thus, the tablecloth informs us, in an unconscious way, to

interact with the table trough a decoration. This is of course

depending on cultural aspects; if you are familiar using a

tablecloth at all, as well as the size of the table in combi-

nation with the size of the table.

Material and techniques: A hand-made textile sketch,

using a ready made polyester fabric, silk screen print with

pigment and swell paint, textile glue and mosaic. The bor-

der is made in swell paint, except in some parts where

small mosaic is glued in the same pattern.

Figure 1 A FallingCloth placed symmetric on a table

Figure 1 B FallingCloth starts to slide

Figure 1 C FallingCloth falls to the floor

Figure 1 A

Figure 1 B

Figure 1 C

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StructureCloth 2003 is another experiment to investigate

a decoration. In the Structure cloth the decoration is

making the cloth hard to use. A non useful item, can that

have a purpose? Yes, I think so. In this example, the

decoration is made in swell-paint onto a cotton fabric and

gives a rough, plastic and bubbly texture. The decoration

is making the traditional use of a tablecloth (to protect a

table, or as a decoration) irrelevant. Instead it gives an

uncommon structure. This tablecloths decoration does not

invite the user to put items on top. Instead, it seams to

make people avoid putting stuff on top of the table cloth.

This experiment shows what an extended decoration

made in swell paint can do; it makes a surface that is

changing the use of a tablecloth. In this case, the decora-

tion makes the table cloth hard to use by its rough structure.

This tablecloth provides a surface that does not invite one

to place small objects that need to be standing up on top

of the table.

Material and techniques: A hand-made textile sketch using

a ready made cotton fabric, swell paint mixed with pigment.

Figure 2 A A cup balance on the StructureCloth

Figure 2 B StructureCloth seen from above

Figure 2 C StructureCloth close up

Figure 2 A

Figure 2 B

Figure 2 C

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TraditionalCloth 2003 is an experiment about the relation

between old and new expressions. By using an old tradi-

tional tablecloth and make a hand-painted red cross on

top it gives a unexpected combination. This experiment

deals with what boundaries old object can predict a table-

cloth should be ironed and without stains and holes.

When adding a red cross on the surface, the old table-

cloths contain a gap between the old and the new. We

are not used to have unexpected decorations on our

tables. We are making a statement with the choice of

tablecloth we use, even not using one. By combining

more modern materials in traditional constructions or

aesthetical agreements a fruitful mixture is to be found.

Material and techniques: A hand-made textile sketch using

an old Swedish tablecloth woven in cotton with handpainted

pigment colour on top.

Figure 3 A TraditionalCloth close up seen from top

Figure 3 B TraditionalCloth seen from side

Figure 3 C TraditionalCloth seen from corner

Falling, Structure and TraditionCloth are examples

made for reflection over the use and signification of a

decoration. Design for reflection, over object and the use

of it more than for adding a static extra value. The exam-

ples are made using traditional material in a non traditional

way. This how material, context and shape of decoration

can be used. Today there are Smart Textiles with properti-

es to change depending on surrounding conditions. But it

is not only about what material is used, the out come is

also depending on the textile construction: if the fabric is

woven, knitted or non-woven and also depending of what

the fabric will be used for, and in what context. Further on

the mentioned examples were used as a starting point to

investigate how to develop dynamic textile patterns using

so-called Smart Textiles.

Figure 3 A

Figure 3 B

Figure 3 C

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Smart Textile

To be able to use smart textile materials in an extended

way it is important to understand the making of a fabric, in

order to use and develop the inner qualities in the combi-

nation of material and construction. It is hard to develop

and understand new possibilities in materials (as well as in

new techniques) if the two are divided, because the two

are so dependent upon each other. New qualities are

even created in the meeting between a specific materiality

and construction. But at the same time, the two are in a

first step developed in different disciplines. For example,

the fibre's tear strength gets stronger (or weaker) depen-

ding on construction of the final fabric.

Today there is a range of new materials, so-called Smart

Textiles, one of many different terms for materials with the

ability to adapt or change according to the environment.

For example, there are materials that can change colour

depending on sunlight, temperature or pressure. Other

materials can be conductive and thus used to transmit

signals, be used as a shelter for electromagnetic waves or

to create heat.These different material qualities can further

be divided into different groups depending on stimuli and

response. There is a group of materials called “Chromic

materials” that involves materials that can change colour

depending on external stimuli and depending on stimuli

they can further be divided into subgroups; electro chro-

mic where stimuli is electricity, piezo-chromic where stimuli

is pressure, solvate-chromic where stimuli is liquid, photo-

chromic where stimuli is ultra violet light and thermo-chromic

where stimuli is heat.

The smart textile materials used in this work are mainly

chromic materials and a conductive material. The chromic

material investigated in this work is a thermo-chromic ink

that change colour due to temperature and is suited for

screen printing. A reversible colour change is activated at

around 37*C (body temperature) and the colour change

last as long as the fabric is heated and then starts to slow-

ly fade away. After the ink is heated up it will stay for some

minutes and slowly turn back to its original colour, the time

it will take to fade away is depending on temperature. The

higher the temperature, the longer it will stay. High tempe-

rature during long time makes the fading even slower.

Printing thermo-chromic ink can be mixed with “ordinary”

textile pigment made for silk screen. There is a range of

thermo-chromic ink made for textiles available on the mar-

ket. Example of the colour range; Cyan, magenta, orange,

green and grey. These colours can also be mixed to crea-

te new colours. When they are heated up they seem to

disappear but leave a gentle shade (the different colours

leave a slightly different shade). One can think a bit of

different transparent layers when mixing the colours. If no

pigment colour is added to the thermo-chromic, the paint

will just seem to disappear. But when this thermo-chromic

is mixed with “ordinary” pigment that colour will be visible

when heated. This will be illustrated and explained further

on. This indicates that there is a range of ways to design

and mix colours when creating these kinds of textile pat-

terns. Thermo-chromic technique is also available to react

in other temperatures.

When screen printing a textile pattern made in thermo-

chromic ink and pigment one can either mix the colours

and make one print or make a print over another. When

mixing the two different pigments, it can be hard to mix

“two colours in one”, because the different colours are

affecting each other. Ordinary knowledge about how to

mix colours can thus be used to achieve different results

in the design. For example a blue thermo-chromic and a

yellow pigment will turn out to be a green colour, but when

heated it will turn into yellow. When mixing the colour the

two different possible colours are seen individually, but are

affecting one and other.

Screen printed thermo-chromic ink can be washed in 40

degrees and the colour changing affect is to last approxima-

tely 20 washes. The material was used a short period during

the 1980´s on for example t-shirts and skiers clothes.

Nowadays the material is mainly used for cheap commercial

products, plastic dolls with hair that changes colour when

washes, plastic spoons for children's food and so on. What

could this kind of material offer to textile patterns without

being addressed like a material used on gimmick products?

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The conductive fibre used in this project is a carbon fibre.

The carbon is used because of its rather poor conductive

properties (compared to metals). Because of the high

resistance in carbon fibre heat is produced. Carbon fibre

is used in combination with thermo-chromic screen print.

Other conductive materials such as metal wire and film

have also been used in the experiments in order to create heat.

Experiment / Smart textile

By experimenting with objects closely connected to table-

cloths like, porcelain, computers, iron and more, the

making of dynamic textile patterns took off. The system of

a tablecloth, the act of drinking from a cup filled with hot

tea or coffee became important factors for creating a patt-

tern. A stronger connection between objects, how they

influence each other, the material in the tablecloth, and the

objects on top appeared. The hot objects left a mark on

the thermo-chromic treated fabrics.

Other ways of activating thermo-chromic textile pattern are

placing heat elements under the fabric and integrate it into

the fabric itself. Some experiments have also been made

using non-physical objects like hot air fans and hot liquid.

In these experiments the thermo-chromic material was

used both with and without a range of different colours.

Just to learn the material and what kind of colours and

patterns that could be made using these materials.

Material and techniques: A hand-made textile sketch using

thermo-chromic screen print on cotton fabric.

Figure 4 A A cup with hot water on pink tablecloth

Figure 4 B Hot water spilled out on tablecloth

Figure 4 C The hot water immediately makes a pattern

on the tablecloth

Figure 4 A

Figure 4 B

Figure 4 C

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Experiments were done looking at different ways of desig-

ning textile patterns with thermo-chromic ink. Structures

were put onto fabrics. Patterns have been printed on both

plain weave and onto already patterned fabric. Then the

design of different heat elements was taken into conside-

ration and further developed in the following categories;

placed on top, under or integrated in the fabric.

Using heat elements on top of the tablecloth.

“Do the pattern yourself” 2003. A single coloured

tablecloth was made out of thermo-chromic screen print

and the idea of using external objects to make patterns.

No pattern was made onto the fabric, just an over all print

was made. Now, the object (the bottom of the cup) is

what will make a decoration onto the tablecloth. Actually,

the textile decoration can be made on another object and

then “stamped” onto the fabric, for example different shapes

could be moulded in the bottom of porcelain to create the

textile pattern. This textile pattern allows designing one's

“own” pattern during usage. Instead of creating a ready-

made decoration, we encourage people to take part in the

creative process after the fabric is made. By making the

tablecloth “do it yourself” the textile pattern starts to do

something more than a traditional textile pattern does. The

textile pattern that will appear on the surface will look

much like a stain from having coffee or tea under your

cup. This kind of textile pattern also tells us about an

ongoing or earlier activity around the table.

Material and techniques: A hand-made prototype in textile,

the fabric is ready made cotton satin with a thermo chro-

mic screen print (using an open screen print frame) water

resistant treatment is made on the surface.

Figure 5 A Cups with hot water is placed on the

tablecloth “Do the pattern yourself”

Figure 5 B Moving around hot cups on the tablecloth

Figure 5 C “Do the pattern yourself” seen from above

when temporary pattern is made

Figure 5 A

Figure 5 B

Figure 5 C

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Two coloured woven fabric. Making a single coloured

screen print in thermo-chromic onto two different fabrics

will of course make a big difference. Some patterns were

made onto a two coloured woven fabric, consisting of

white and red threads. When making a red thermo-chromic

print on top, a small weaving structure will appear in the

areas that have been heated. This gave a mixture between

old and new expressions that makes connections to, and

takes advantages from, old traditions and new materiality.

The idea was to keep the “big surprise” when making a

pattern with for example your cup but also make a more

beautiful fabric. By mixing white and red when weaving the

fabric and then print a dark red pattern on top, there will

be a mark of the cup but the construction in the fabric will

also be visible and be a decorative part.

When designing with this kind of colours one needs to

think about the different stages and the two together. This

is just like working with more traditional screen prints over-

lapping each other, but the extra aspect is that the colour

now even can change. This makes it even more inter-

esting to work with colours made by mixing different

ground colours.

Material and techniques: A woven fabric in read and white

with a hand-made thermo-chromic silk screen print on top.

Figure 6 A A fabric printed with thermo-chromic

Figure 6 B The fabric is heated with an iron

Figure 6 C A temporarily colour change take place

Figure 6 A

Figure 6 B

Figure 6 C

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Designing a pattern for screen printing. By making different

designs one can use the thermo-chromic qualities further.

In a pattern with nine squares, that may encourage people

around a table to play a tic-tac-toe game, it even gets a

time aspect introduced into the game if hot cups are used

as play markers. Thus time is an active part in both the

(new) rules of the game and in the time you can spend on

playing a game. These tablecloths were placed in a café

at an office, the intention were to encourage the workers

to play as long as their coffee was hot and then go back

to work. But what happened was that the tables where

much bigger than the tablecloths and people did not want

to stain the tablecloths and instead balance the cups on

the empty table space.

Material and techniques 2003: A hand-made textile sketch

on ready made white cotton fabric, silk screen print on top

made in thermo-chromic ink mixed with pigment.

Figure 7 A A tablecloth with a nine square design

Figure 7 B Hot cups are placed on the tablecloth

Figure 7 C When drinking and thus moving the cup a

temporarily pattern appears on the squares

Figure 7 A

Figure 7 B

Figure 7 C

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Using heat elements under the tablecloth.

Structure. Pleats are made onto a fabric (using an open

frame silk screen print in thermo-chromic).The structure

opens up for a new perspective, the time. Since heat is

rising in the fabric it takes different times and temperatures

to activate the whole fabric.

Material and techniques: A hand-made textile made in silk

screen print on top of a white cotton fabric, thermo-chro-

mic and pigment colour.

Figure 8 A Pleats made on a cotton fabric with a

thermo-chromic screen print

Figure 8 B Under the fabric a heat blanket is placed

and turned on

Figure 8 C The heat slowly grows up in the pleats and

make a temporarily colour change

Figure 8 A

Figure 8 B

Figure 8 C

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Specially designed heat elements. Heat elements that

have been explored in this project are laser cut heat ele-

ments, which allows you to control the pattern in a more

specific way.

This technique was used in a project called Tic-tac-textile

(Ernevi, 2005) the textile pattern on a tablecloth can invite

the user to play a game over distance using this dynamic

textile pattern.

After making this kind of patterns where hot external

objects are used to either create a pattern or reveal a

hidden pattern from above, the next step was to hide it

underneath the tablecloth. A range of different solutions

were tried out. To begin with, a heat pad was placed

underneath the fabric. That gave thoughts to make the

design with a heat element. Next step was to create sim-

ple stripes using heat conductive threads and wires.

Material used is Kanthal (4) threads and carbon fibre yarn.

The yarn was added on the back of the fabric, embroide-

red or applied by bonding. Depending on what type of

textile pattern you want to make, different yarn/wire is pre-

ferable. By placing a specially designed heat element

under the fabric a totally invisible textile pattern can be

revealed from time to time, all depending of how the heat

element is designed.

Material and techniques: A hand-made sketch on an

industrial woven fabric, silk screen print with thermo-

chromic ink.

Figure 9 A A special designed heat element consisting

cross and circles

Figure 9 B The heat element is placed under a thermo-

chromic table cloth and power is turned on

Figure 9 C Slowly a cross is appearing on the tablecloth

Figure 9 A

Figure 9 B

Figure 9 C

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Using heat integrated into a textile.

Weave out of heat elements. When trying different solu-

tions of making patterns with heat, first by external objects

and then by making specific shapes and place under the

fabric, next step was to integrate the heat element into the

fabric. If making a fabric with different patterns woven/knit-

ted into the fabric, one would not need external objects to

reveal a textile pattern. Or the two could be combined.

A fabric made out of cotton and carbon fibre was made

and on top a print with thermo chromic screen print was

made. When the power was turned on, the heat element

(the carbon yarn) revealed the paint in the area where the

carbon yarn was integrated.

Material and techniques: An industrially woven fabric in

cotton and carbon with a hand-made silk screen print out

of thermo-chromic ink. In the edges (of the carbon fibre

yarn) electricity is added (7 voltages). When the power is

turned on the carbon starts to emit heat that affects the

thermo-chromic print to change appearance 2004.

Figure 10 A Carbon fibre is integrated in the weave with

thermo-chromic screen print on top

Figure 10 B Power is turned on and heat is produced,

thus a colour change appears

Figure 10 C Close up on colour change and power supply

By making textile patterns that change dynamically we can

view the actual creation of patterns as inherent in the use

of textiles. Thus a range of different possible textile patterns

can be included in one fabric and changed from time to

time. Even after the fabric is made it can be given a range

of different textile patterns and expressions depending on

how the power is turned on or off, the programming. Thus

a new element becomes important; time.

The time the heat element will be programmed to be on is

how long time it will take to reveal a pattern (that is depen-

ding on, for example, material and construction of the fabric).

To better understand the properties in the thermo-chromic

ink, the usage and the aesthetic possibilities, the experi-

ments stayed in the area of tablecloths to take advantage

of thoughts from the first experimental tablecloths.

Figure 10 A

Figure 10 B

Figure 10 C

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Textile Disobedience / Smart textile

After making the mentioned experiment, next step was to

sum up the theme Textile Disobedience and Smart Textile.

Two concepts and prototypes will be presented here.

“Rather Boring” 2004. The tablecloth Rather Boring

looks like an ordinary, a bit boring, tablecloth. By using the

principles of having a hot object on top a textile pattern is

revealed. But when hot objects are placed on top the

pattern not only seems to disappear; some pattern will

actually appear. This experiment shows that by hiding a

pattern in another, there will be a feeling of revealing, sear-

ching a pattern within a pattern instead of only making a

mark with an external object. The design of this tablecloth

got inspiration from traditional embroidered tablecloths.

By mixing old and new traditions and designs, for example

new materials in a traditional construction, an “out standing”

look and feeling will not be necessary. Even the surprise in

the tablecloth's ability to hide a pattern will give an even a

bigger surprise when the design is a bit calm and not

screaming for attention. To hide a pattern within a pattern

is done by printing with two different pigments but mixed

in the same colours (in this case a grey thermo-chromic

and a grey pigment colour). It is important to mix the

colours perfectly, so the surprise would not be ruined in

advance, so the “hidden” pattern can be found before

heating some parts. That is a hard task, especially when

various light conditions will make the colours reflect diffe-

rently. Even perfection during screen printing is important

in order to get a good result.

Material and techniques: A hand-made prototype onto

ready made white cotton satin,

silk screen print made in two colours, one with thermo-

chromic and another with ordinary textile pigment.

Figure 11 A Close up on the textile pattern “Rather boring”

Figure 11 B The tablecloth with the textile pattern

“Rather boring”

Figure 11 C In the textile pattern a hidden message is

revealed using heat

Figure 11 A

Figure 11 B

Figure 11 C

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“Being Squared” 2004. This is a textile pattern that can

change from striped into checks and back again. The pro-

totype is presented as an apron and a tablecloth, the

same fabric is used for the two different items, but with

different screen print on top. The tablecloth is given a

checked textile print that is static (and made to stay in the

same shape over time) and the apron is given a striped

pattern that is a dynamic textile pattern. The aprons patt-

tern has got the ability to change into checks when power

is turned on, and thus creates the same sized checks as

on the tablecloth. Two different (but similar) textile patterns

also show the ability to create a kind of camouflage possi-

bility by combining a dynamic textile pattern with a “static”

textile pattern.

The principles for creating dynamic textile patterns in this

example are by integrating the heat element in the fabric.

As shown in earlier examples the thermo- chromic ink will

give a feeling of just disappearing when no ordinary pig-

ment is added. This is a simple stated example showing

how a pattern can change expression within this technique.

Material and techniques: Industrial woven fabric (11) in

cotton and carbon with a hand-made silk screen print out

of thermo-chromic ink. In the edges (of the carbon fibre

yarn) electricity is added (7 voltages). When the power is

turned on, the carbon starts to emit heat that affects the

thermo-chromic print on to change appearance.

Figure 12 A The textile pattern “Being square”

Figure 12 B Power is turned on

Figure 12 C Slowly the stripes turns into squares

Figure 12 A

Figure 12 B

Figure 12 C

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Looking at the project “being square” one will get range

new possibilities when creating dynamically changing patt-

terns. In this case the conductive threads can be seen as

different systems with different combinations and intervals.

This open ups for a new way of creating different textile

patterns after the actual making of the textile. This also

brings some parameters that need to be considered in

advance. Depending on how many different patterns that

is requested to appear (in the same fabric), the making of

the pattern can be built up in different ways than is propo-

sed in this article. To clarify the complexity in the creation

of dynamic textile pattern one can divide the process in

this way;

- Construction of the fabric. If it is woven, knitted, non-

woven or i.e a plain fabric? The fabrics construction is the

first part of what possible decoration that will appear.

- What materials are the fabric made out of? And what

are the properties of the material?

- After treatments, in this case screen printed pattern on

the fabric and design of it.

- Time length for the power (sent out in the fabric) to be

turned on or off (programming)

- Context and eventually systems.

Using the textile pattern in the future

The title textile disobedience means textile patterns that do

not act as we expect them to. They are playing with us

and our pre-understanding of what a textile pattern is and

show what it can also be like. Dynamic textile patterns can

change according to surroundings, “spread” to other items

and appear when they are programmed to. This kind of

textile patterns with dynamical properties is something that

we usually do not connect with textile patterns and their

use. Thus it feels a bit like dynamic textile patterns is a bit

of disobedience, in a playful way.

The dynamic textile patterns presented in this article are

using thermo-chromic material and heat to reveal the patt-

tern. There are a range of other materials that can be used

using similar structures for designing dynamic textile patt-

terns. Other dynamic textile patterns have been made in

other materials during the making of the prototypes men-

tioned in this article, for example the Lamp-Curtain. This is

a fabric that can be used both as an ordinary curtain to

block out light during day and as a lamp when dark during

the night. But this dynamic textile pattern tended to be

more about a multi-functional tool, a lamp and a curtain,

than a dynamic changing pattern.

New smart materials with the ability to change, extend the

expressions and open up for a new way to both interact

and design with and for familiar objects. Technology com-

ponents can become the fabric in itself. Thus is no longer

a need for technology to be hidden in a shell. Objects can

express both technology and the aesthetic within the con-

struction. The intention with this project is to show possibi-

lities in textile materials and techniques, abilities to create a

dynamic changing textile patterns as well as to make

suggestions by making prototypes illustrating how dynamic

textile patterns can be designed. In the future, the pro-

gramming needs to be further considered and given a lar-

ger space in the making of a dynamic textile pattern.

When a decoration starts to interact one may look at texti-

les as a material with other properties than the ones men-

tioned earlier. New qualities open up for story telling,

expressing ideas, and messages. Dynamic textile pattern,

also open for a multi functional use of textiles. Areas for

applying dynamic textile pattern can be different, for exam-

ple camouflage, safety, health care, personal communica-

tions, just mention some.

This opens up a totally new area both for computational

technology and the textile area. Hopefully textiles will come

a bit closer to “aesthetic expression and computation”.

Thus the new area for textiles could fulfil the gap between

technical textiles and soft furnishings, so instead of being

produced as only decorative shells new textiles will contain

both aesthetic and communicative aspects.

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Acknowledges

Vinnova (the Swedish agency for Innovation Systems) and

the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research through

the project Textiles and Computational technology (IT &

Textiles) at the Interactive Institute. Thanks to Lars Hallnäs,

Mathias Worbin and Marcus Bergman for advice and

improvments.

Notes

1. Elexen

http://www.elexen.com

2. IFM International Fashion Machines

http://www.ifmachines.com/eplaid.html

3. Fashion Victims

http://www.fashionvictims.org

4. Kanthal is a metal wire used for example in

toasters, produced by Kanthal

http://www.kanthal.com

5. The fabric is made on a jacquard machine, but

used as a shaft machine. The construction is two

warp treads over one weft insertation.

References

Dunne, A. ( 1999) Hertzian Tales, Electronic products,

aesthetic experience and critical design. The Royal

College of Art and Anthony Dunne.

Ernevi, A., Eriksson, D., Jacobs, M., Löfgren, U., Mazé,

R., Redström, J.,

Thoresson, J. and Worbin, L. (2005). Tic Tac Textiles.

Proceedings of

CUMULUS Lisbon 2005, Pride and Pre-Design, The

Cultural Heritage and the Science of Design.

Post, E.R., Orth, M., Russo, P.R., Gershenfeld, N. (2000)

E-broidery: Design and fabrication of textile-based compu-

ting. IBM System Journal, vol 39, pp. 840-860.

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70 Textile JournalA

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Paths to a new Prosperity

By Simonetta Carbonaro and Christian Votava

Let's speak plainly: It is fear of the future that's the actual trigger of our current

con-sumer crisis, and it's consumers' reticence to consume that is the cause

of growth weakness in our Western economies. The optimism and belief in

progress, which was once the motor of our affluent society have not been ful-

filling us for some time, now. Whereas once upon a time a simple worker could

actually imagine that his or her son or daughter might become a doctor, today

a lawyer is satisfied if his or her own children have a job at a call center after

finishing university rather than being unemployed.

The promise of continuously increasing material and social prosperity has lost

its credibility in our Western societies. It was a utopia that has moved on to the

emerging markets of the global economy, and which has left “memories of the

past“ here in its wake. This is why we cling with anxiety and mistrust to what

we know we have rather than taking off to new - unknown - shores.

In order for us in our Western societies to construct a new “vision of the future”,

a new ideal of prosperity, we can no longer rely on politics alone. Its ability to

play an influential role is becoming more and more limited in our globalizing

world. Now it is the turn of industry and retailing to take their fates into their own

hands and to develop a consumer culture which holds out to people the pro-

spects of a new con-sciousness of prosperity, or at least “memories of the

future”. This is about a kind of consumption that makes “sense” - that has its

reason - for consumers.

Simonetta Carbonaro is an expert in consumer

psychology, comfort science and strategic design

management. She does research in the area of

consumer behaviour and the social and cultural

change of our societies. She is a member of the

European Cultural Parliament, teaches at the

Domus Academy in Milan, where she is a member

of the Research Centre, and is also Professor for

Humanistic Marketing and Design Management

at the The Swedish School of Textiles, THS,

University Colleges of Borås, Sweden. For more

than 10 years Carbonaro worked as a consultant

on innovative branding strategies and is today a

Partner at REALISE, where she is actively involved

in Value Branding and Strategic Design.

Christian Votava is an expert in the areas of

marketing, innovation and organisational efficiency.

He helps make it possible for companies to

operate safely and successfully in today's rapidly

changing saturated markets. He holds a doctorate

in chemistry and an MBA, and was active for more

than 10 years in leading marketing and operating

positions in Europe and the USA. He was a con-

sultant at Logika AG and A.T. Karney. Today he is

a Partner at REALISE. In addition to project work,

he assists business manager and boards with their

strategic and tactical decisions, and publishes new

developments and methods in marketing.

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Paradigm change: Back to needs

Marketing has not yet quite grasped how to properly deal

with “sense” as a new customer need. Indeed, marketing

continues to hold on tightly with nearly messianic convic-

tion to the dogma of customer orientation. It leaves no

stone unturned in attempting to read consumers wishes,

which are expressed through a variety of immaterial bene-

fits and manifold lifestyles. This leads to a range of seg-

mentspecific “dreamworlds” that by their nature implode

almost as soon as they appear, which leads to a new pro-

duct offensive in order to shore up the attraction of what is

being offered (Fig. 1).

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Markets structural change

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Such a marketing orientation to customer desires is driving

a vicious circle of innovation pressure, information flood

and shorter product life cycles that has turned our already

saturated markets into something more and more com-

plex. This vicious circle also leads to an exponential

growth of the marketing costs which, in the meantime, can

barely be offset by increases in production efficiency. In

order to break through this circle, industry and retailing

must undertake a paradigm shift and rededicate themsel-

ves more conscientiously to customers' needs or, to put it

more precisely, their latent, not directly formulated needs.

This will take an active examination of people's priorities

rather than simply an easy answer to their wishes.

And yet, the classical market research, with its strength in

capturing conscious and known phenomena, is simply not

up to this challenge. It is hardly suitable to support strate-

gic farsightedness or to anticipate the new (Fig. 2a). To

understand consumers' latent needs, we need to rely

more strongly on qualitative methods such as “Grounded

Marketing“, which touches on the tried and true approa-

ches of social research*). This method makes it possible

to investigate social phenomena within the context of an

exploration process of induction and deduction - building

and examining hypotheses - which is oriented (“groun-

ded“) in a permanent observation of the real or actual (Fig.

2b). We work closely with humanistic researchers, artists,

designers or fashion designers, who bring their insights

and power of imagination into this process.

*Barney G. Glaser; Anselm L. Strauss: The Discovery of

Grounded Theory.

Strategies for Qualitative Research (1967)

Evert Gummesson: Are current research approaches in

marketing leading us astray? Marketing Theory, Vol. 1,

No. 1, 27-48 (2001)

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Relation between Market Research Grounded Marketing

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Grounded Marketing Methodology

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Quality: Paths to a new prosperity

Customers are no longer “consumers”. Today, they work

as enlightened market participants and are no longer

impressed by something as simple as a communication of

superlatives. The many colorful image and experience

worlds have made them perhaps even more distrustful of

everything they perceive as “marketing.” Rather, they are

much more seeking intuitively understood reference

points, which are in harmony with their own value system

and their individual life themes. Because consumption,

and we would like to restate this here very clearly, is very

closely connected with consumers' entirely individual

expectations of quality of life and selfactualisation.

The best approach to bridging the gap between products

and consumers is by paying attention to the quality factor.

Our own research work in the consumer sector reveals

quality to be a very strong and indeed, convincing subject.

But one must take care not to reduce it to its rational and

scientific dimensions, but to include the emotional and

subjective aspects which we all relate to as consumers.

We were able to identify four relevant values sites (each

one of them comprehending three further life themes defi-

ning the relevant fields of action) that covered the range of

meaning attributed to quality as a topic, and which define

the “socio-cultural model of consumption” (Fig. 3).

Our model illustrates the entire bandwidth of consumer

motivations today. It makes it quite clear that purchase

decisions in our saturated markets depend less on rational

arguments about use and benefit, or emotional seduction

arts, than they depend on their significance for consu-

mers. Thus the “socio-cultural model of consumption” de-

scribes a new understanding of prosperity, which allows

the generation of considerable competitive advantages.

The major potential of this “softer side” of marketing was

also recently recognized by proponents of the suddenly

very fashionable “multi-sensual marketing and branding”,

although the “multi-sensualists” only rely on one of the

socio-cultural categories for support and don't take all of

the others into account. For consumers, a brand only

achieves a sustainable significance when it reflects in its

identity all four value sites.

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Socio-cultural model of consumption

Quality

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Excellence: The new luxury

The Italian Slow Food movement provides the ideal-typical

example for working with this “softer side” of marketing.

The Slow Food movement understood very early how to

activate tradition, region and culture as added values for

food, thus defining Excellence as an entirely new quality

category. The term - Excellence- can be applied across

the entire consumer goods sector if one is thus able to

designate products and shopping locations to which con-

sumers feel a strong affinity or cultural relationship. The

strong identification potential of those products of excell-

lence represents a real added value for which consumers

are prepared to pay an extra charge.

Throughout our Western countries, Mr. and Ms. Everyman

are today looking for unique and original products. You

only have to observe their shopping behavior outside the

supermarkets or department stores to understand that

they have become “truffle pigs” of excellence. The “search

for exclusivity by the masses”, as Umberto Eco calls the

new phenomenon of Excellence, specifies a growing mar-

ket segment that unites tradition with the Zeitgeist. It arises

from the consumers' need for things that extend beyond

simply products, but that also represent goods, whose

value creation can be grasped and experienced in a mani-

fold way-from the knowledge about their production, to the

atmosphere of their points of sale. Excellence is thus in

some way able to remove the gap between production

and marketing and represents a counter-trend to the cultu-

ral globalization that is affecting the market of industrially-

produced mass products.

The significance of products and shopping locations of

Excellence allows consumers to express their capability to

enjoy life, their cultural understanding, as well as their indi-

vidual uniqueness. In this sense, Excellence defines and

relates to an entirely new concept of luxury - not as a

symbol of “status” but as a symbol of “being”. The “new

luxury” is an expression of a nascent historic value shift of

our post-industrial affluent societies and their undergoing

utopia of constant upward social mobility.

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Mass and class complement each other

As it happens, the segment of mass produced products

itself is in the midst of a fundamental state of upheaval.

Consumers are increasingly finding the classical quality

designations of low, middle, high and premium to be artifi-

cial categories of an increasingly similar standard quality.

Consumers can no longer relate the various advertising

messages and brand promises to any actual quality

distinctions that would justify price differences in their

eyes. As a result, they are increasingly picking what's

cheapest (Fig. 4).

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Consumers shifting quality perception

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Yet we can't simply regard this often discussed market

polarization between an “Excellence” segment and a

“Cheap” segment as contradictory - or opposite develop-

ment. “Class” and “mass” are rather beginning to support

and supplement each other. The market for Excellence is

thus a sensitive seismograph for the latent needs of peo-

ple. It is the actual trendsetter of consumption and func-

tions as a model for the market of standard industrial pro-

ducts. In return, the discount sector is making it possible

for a broader segment of the population to save money in

order to afford something “special” every now and then

without exceeding their household budget (Fig. 5).

The ongoing success of the discounters is impressive evi-

dence for the very realistic behavior of customers today.

They know that the discounters have an entire system in

place geared to supply what they need at the best price.

They do not expect discount products or discount stores

to tell the story of their tradition and they are happy, not

having to listen to any fairy tales either.

Class and mass complement each other

•••

•••

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Real Quality: The revolution of the authentic

Nevertheless, it would be wrong to try to equate market

segments with customer segments in saturated markets.

Today's consumers transverse all market segments and

put together their own personal product mix. By so doing,

however, they prefer discount and Excellence products

and are increasingly avoiding products and shopping loca-

tions of the mid-range segment, whose substantial quality

got jeopardized by the gimmick of immaterial benefits.

Both the discount and Excellence segments are able to

persuade more and more people because their market

presence reflects their quality positioning in a coherent

way. They beam forth what they are and make quality

“real”, which is to say, rational and emotionally understan-

dable. It is just this disarming authenticity of both seg-

ments that deliver their power to convince: In an increa-

singly complex world of products and goods, authenticity

has the power of giving orientation, reliability, as well as

significance. Authenticity can radiate the confidence of a

“memory of the future” which represents an incalculable

added value (Fig. 6).

The Concept of Real Quality

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“Real quality” describes a value added strategy from which

can be derived more than simply entirely new approaches

to brand management, product range and price policy,

and innovation management. It also leads to ground-brea-

king forms of consumption scenarios and exciting busi-

ness expansions based on a symbiosis of discount and

Excellence (Fig. 7). And yet, “real quality” is more than a

strategy for saturated markets. After “value for money” and

“value for time”, “value for sense” defines a new consump-

tion culture that represents a silver lining for industry and

retailing, but also for consumers in our crisis-ridden societies.

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85Textile Journal

The Stratergy of Real Quality

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87Textile Journal

Handicraft Knowledge Applied to

Archaeological Textiles

Lena Hammarlund

Orangerigatan 22

412 66 Gothenburg, Sweden

[email protected]

Introduction Professor Lise Bender Jørgensen

The Swedish School of Textiles, THS

Craftsmanship and know-how is an integral part of any textiles. This certainly

applies to archaeological textiles, and experimental work on spinning and wea-

ving is an important aspect of research done in this field. In this, two major pro-

blems have been recurrent. Firstly, how to assess the craftsmanship of extinct

technologies, like hand spindles and the variety of looms that preceded the

horizontal treadle loom. Secondly, how to describe craftsmanship, i.e. to transmit

so-called tacit knowledge into an academic format. Hand-weaver Lena

Hammarlund is engaged in finding ways towards solving both these problems,

by producing test weaves, trying out a range of yarns, weaves and other varia-

bles, and by creating concepts and models to describe what she is doing.

Hammarlund became interested in the study of ancient textiles during her

sojourn at the University College Borås, The Swedish School of Textiles, and did

her exam project on reconstructions of two Roman fabrics excavated at Mons

Claudianus in Egypt (Hammarlund 1994). This led to an attempt to define what

was termed the fourth dimension of the Mons Claudianus textiles (Hammarlund

1997, 1998), and to a series of related projects such as Textiles of Seafaring on

the reconstruction of wool sails and other textiles for Viking ships (Bender

Jørgensen & Damgaard Sørensen 1999; Cooke, Christiansen & Hammarlund

2002; Bender Jørgensen 2005; Cooke & Christiansen 2005). Hammarlund's

contribution to this was based on studies of medieval textiles from Trondheim

and Lödöse. This paper summarizes some of Hammarlund's main results.

Lena Hammarlund is educated in handweaving

at The Swedish School of Textiles, THS,

University Colleges of Borås. She has worked

around 10 years with different project in

archaeological and historical textiles.

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Mons Claudianus

First a few words to introduce Mons Claudianus. A Roman

quarry in Egypt's Eastern Desert, Mons Claudianus is situ-

ated between the modern Egyptian towns of Hurghada

and Qena, approximately 50 km from the Red Sea and

120 km from the Nile. Excavations by an international

team of scholars 1987-93 revealed rich finds, including

textiles that are counted in tens of thousands (Bender

Jørgensen 1991 b, 2000, 2004 a, b; Peacock & Maxfield

1997; Maxfield & Peacock 2001). Textual evidence shows

that activities at the quarry can be dated mainly to the first

half of the 2nd century AD, informs us on daily life at the

site, and on the social and ethnic composition of the

workforce (Bingen et al. 1992, 1997; Bülow-Jacobsen

1996; Cuvigny 2000).

Studying Textile Craftsmanship

The hand-weaver's primary role has been to find answers

to specific questions, often concerning textile properties.

One of the main questions concerning the wool tabby tex-

tiles from Mons Claudianus was why fragments with the

same technical registration look so different from one anot-

her. To answer this, the textiles' surface texture has been

studied, in an attempt to investigate the parameters that

created different appearances (Hammarlund 1997).

Visual Groups and the Pentagon

A first impression from the wealth of Mons Claudianus tex-

tiles was that many of them could be sorted visually into

distinctive types. Some were thin and sheer, and very

lightweight, while others were thin but with more substan-

ce. Some were of medium thickness and others rather

coarse. When, however, examined according to the stan-

dard methodology of the textile archaeologist (cf. Walton &

Eastwood 1988), many of the textiles resulted in almost

identical descriptions. Differences clearly visible to the

naked eye were not discernible through the standard ana-

lysis of archaeological textiles. They contained a fourth

dimension that eluded the established recording system.

This fourth dimension is concealed within the textile, impar-

ted by the craftsperson or persons through their handicraft

knowledge and skills during all steps in the making of the

fabric, from raw material to the finished cloth. How can these

elusive aspects be described? To answer that question we

have to know more about how these textiles have been

made and how different processes affect a fabric. What fac-

tors from the construction processes, besides those used in

standard analyses, are important to record?

The first step in the investigation was to weave a series of

test webs to rule out the effects of simple technical varia-

tions, such as combinations of twist directions, and com-

binations of twist and different thread density. This work

was followed by a study of detailed photos of 50 frag-

ments from Mons Claudianus, where the aim was to find

words to describe what characterised the fabrics' textures

purely from a visual point of view.

Subjective Description

Following test webs and photographic analysis, fieldwork

examination of more than 100 woollen tabby fragments

took place. Tabby is the simplest weave and as such, it is,

so to speak, an uncomplicated cloth. In spite of this fact,

the tabby textiles contained a broad variation of fabrics.

In this part of the study, the textile archaeologist's analysis

was supplemented by that of the craftsman's. This resulted

in a two-part analysis, with a technical and a subjective

description. The technical analysis was based on standard

methods (Walton & Eastwood, 1988), supplemented by

yarn diameter, twist, and thread movement (i.e. sideways

movement of thread or movement caused by thread con-

traction; see below). The subjective description was based

on visual impression and assessment of the fabric. It inclu-

ded data such as:

• Fibre character: finer or coarser, pigmented or

non-pigmented

• An estimation of fabric thickness and density

• Fabric character: 'ordinary', 'extraordinary' or 'special'

in some way, with an explanation of what factors this

assessment is based on

• Time and skill invested in the work, e.g. spinning,

weaving, with an explanation of what factors this

assessment is based on

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89Textile Journal

• Surface texture: the visual characteristics of the

fabric's surface

• Feeling: a description of properties that may suggest

the fabric's use. The word 'feeling' is used on

archaeological textiles where the modern textile

industry would employ the term 'handle'.

It is important to extract as much information as possible

during primary recording, because it became apparent

then, that in earlier work with photographs and other two-

dimensional documentation, these secondary recording

methods did not satisfactorily convey aspects of the texti-

les that were necessary for subjective recording, as listed

above. However, the resulting subjective description from

primary recording is of great importance and help when

later interpreting technical data and analysing photographic

material.

Of the analysed fragments, 92 were selected for grouping

according to visual similarities. They all were made of

wool, probably fabrics for clothing, and at first glance they

looked to be woven in tabby. When analysed, it was dis-

covered that a few were woven in basket or half basket

weaves but their visual appearance was that of tabby.

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Visual Description of Tabby Groups

The 92 fragments resulted in seven different visual grou-

pings, with their characteristics listed below. During exami-

nation of each group it was important to put into specific

words the visual characteristics common to the group.

Some fragments were easily assigned to a specific group;

other textiles were more difficult to ascribe to one group,

since their characteristics varied by degree, and could be

common to more than one group.

On the basis of the characteristics of each group it has

been possible to construct a model, describing the rela-

tionships among the visual groups.

In the model, tabby 'character' is placed in the centre.

The characteristics of the three groups at the top of the

model are that warp and/or weft yarns have some sort of

movement and that the warp is not so spaced and the

weft is not so densely packed as in the three groups at

the bottom of the model. Fabrics in the three groups at

the bottom are mainly characterised by warp and weft

yarns that have no movement, and thread systems that

appear straight; these fabrics are densely woven but with

a more open spaced warp and a tight, or very tightly

packed, weft.

These groupings, based on the visual appearance of the

textile, are the starting point in finding a key that will explain

why a textile displays its particular appearance. What is it

that determines that a fragment woven in tabby will corres-

pond to a specific group or category?

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'crepe' tabby

'movable' tabby 'crow's-feet' tabby

tabby 'character'

'flat' tabby 'slightly ribbed' tabby

'ribbed' tabby

Relationships between visual tabby groups

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tabby 'character'

Appears as a distinct tabby weave,

looking balanced, and with thread

systems that appear straight.

MC 0133

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'movable' tabby

Has a curving or undulating movement

in the yarn in one or both thread

systems and this movement is seen

as two-dimensional. There is a noti-

ceable space between the threads.

MC 0150

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'crow's-feet' tabby

Is characterised by lines on the fabric

surface that resemble a bird's foot-

print. These lines can be created both

by the warp and weft yarns, forming a

faint twill or diamond pattern. The lines

occur due to movement in the yarn;

twist determines how clearly the lines

are visible. This phenomenon is seen

as a three-dimensional movement.

MC 0070

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'crepe' tabby

Has a more or less bubbly surface,

with thread movement that is seen

as three-dimensional. Both open

weave and dense textiles can be

found in this group.

MC 0579

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'flat' tabby

Is seen as a fabric with a very smooth,

flat surface where the binding texture

is more or less invisible. They have

often a weft-faced appearance, and

seem to have straight thread systems.

The weft yarn is loosely spun which

allows it to 'spread out'. They have a

fine warp and weft, which makes

them very thin or thin fabrics. If coar-

ser, the textile no longer looks smooth

and flat because the yarns' contours

will dominate and these textiles

cannot be grouped as “flat tabby”.

MC 0002

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'slightly ribbed' tabby

Is a fabric with faint ribs in the warp

direction. It is weft-faced, with

straight thread systems. The group

includes thin as well as slightly coar-

ser fabrics. The weft yarn is usually,

but not always, loosely spun.

MC 0742

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'ribbed' tabby

Has distinct ribs in the warp direction

and straight thread systems. The

warp is well spaced and the weft

very densely packed. The weft yarn

usually is finer than the warp and

often, but not always, loosely spun.

Only one in five textiles listed in this

category is tabby; most are woven in

half-basket or basket weave.

MC 0741

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The Pentagon

An initial attempt to answer this question was to examine

the similarities of the textiles placed in the same category,

by using a combination of traditional analysis and the sub-

jective description. The result was not very informative:

only very general tendencies could be established. The

reasons for this can be many: too few textiles in the sam-

ple, imprecise measuring methods, or incomplete know-

ledge about fibre qualities and weaving methods, tools,

and finishing methods and how they affect the textile.

Instead, it was necessary to establish an interpretation

based on theoretical and practical knowledge of handi-

craft, as well as information from traditional analytical met-

hods and subjective description.

In hand weaving, one learns that a fabric's type or quality

is determined by yarn, thread count, and binding or

weave. When describing the textiles from Mons

Claudianus, this was not enough. Something more could

be seen in the fabrics than what could be explained by

those factors. During the project, test weaving was done

on different early loom types. The test weaves on these

looms showed differences in texture, in comparison with

test pieces woven on the horizontal treadle loom. Different

types of finishing methods also were tested and showed

very clearly how they affected the fabric. As a result, two

more factors were added: weaving, which encompasses

loom type, tools for weaving, and how the weaver works;

and various final fabric processes under the heading,

finishing.

The Pentagon

The pentagon model is a simple way to illustrate the handi-

craft factors that form the foundation of a fabric's appearan-

ce and properties. To understand the complexity and inter-

action of these factors, their definitions first are explained.

Yarn: a continuous strand, single or compound, made

from any fibre or filament by reeling, spinning, twisting, or

throwing (Burnham 1981). Yarn properties can be divided

into two groups:

a) Those that originate from the fibre itself, such as length,

fineness or fibre diameter, crimp, absorbency, and abra-

sion resistance (Boutrup 1996; Collier & Tortora 2001;

Hantverkets bok 1940).

b) Properties that originate from the spinning process,

such as twist, twist direction, how the fibres are orientated

in the yarn, and yarn diameter (Boutrup 1996; Collier &

Tortora 2001; Hantverkets bok 1940).

Binding or Weave: the system of interlacing threads of

warp and weft according to defined rules in order to pro-

duce all or parts of a textile (Burnham 1981). In the first

part of the Mons Claudianus project, the examined textiles

primarily were tabby, the simplest binding. Tabby is a basic

binding methods based on a unit of two warp threads and

two weft threads, in which each warp thread, alternately,

passes over one and under one weft thread (Burnham 1981).

Yarn

Finishing Binding

Weaving Thread count

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Thread count: the number of threads in warp and weft

per unit of measure (Burnham 1981).

Weaving: the effect of the interplay between the loom,

the weaving tools, and how the weaver works. Looms in

use during the Roman period were most probably the

horizontal ground loom, the vertical two-beam loom, and

the warp-weighted loom (Barber 1991; Broudy 1979;

Geijer 1980). Different looms require different types of

secondary tools, and weaving is performed in different

ways. This can affect a textile's appearance, and at times,

may be discernible.

Finishing: finishing processes are performed on the web

when taken off the loom. Finishing can include wetting,

stretching, application of dye, fulling the fabric, or a combi-

nation of these processes. When dealing with archaeologi-

cal textiles it can be difficult to ascertain what is the prima-

ry, deliberate textile finish and what has occurred through

wear and tear, or as a result of deposition and degradation

(Collier & Tortora 2001; Gohl & Vilensky 1983; Marsh

1947; Hantverkets bok 1940).

Two other important variables may determine to which

visual group a textile will belong: variability in thread

spacing and thread movement. These variables are

each the result of the interplay of several factors within the

Pentagon and therefore, are not included in the five basic

factors of the model.

Variability in thread spacing: fabrics produced on

looms without a reed and batten can show a marked vari-

ability in the spacing of warp and weft threads, due to the

fact that they are not subjected to strict spacing and

parallelism obtained by such looms. Looms without a reed

allow warp threads some room for sideways movement,

depending on thread density (Cooke et al 2002). Variability

in spacing of the weft can depend on how densely the

weft is packed and how the beating method and choice of

beating tool (sword, comb, etc.) influences the thread

systems. Variability in spacing is primarily assigned to

weaving in the Pentagon model but fabric density, a com-

bination of yarn diameter, thread count, and binding, can

also affect it.

Movement in one or both thread systems is caused by a

combination of torsion, friction, and the fabric's density.

a) Torsion is caused by the fibres' resistance to being

twisted, and works counter to the spin direction. Its

strength primarily depends on degree of twist in the yarn

but also the fibre type and fibre diameter.

b) Friction relates to the resistance created where yarn

surfaces touch; it depends on yarn factors such as fibre

type, fibre preparation, and degree of twist.

c) The fabric's density determines to what extent torsion

and friction can act, and what type of surface expression

the fabric will show.

Movement can be perceived as either two or three-dimen-

sional in nature. Primarily it is assigned to yarn in the

Pentagon but fabric density can also affect it.

Applying the Pentagon: re-examining the

visual groups

To obtain a clearer image of how the textiles in the visual

groups were constructed, it was necessary to apply theo-

retical and practical knowledge of craftsmanship and skill.

For this purpose, the Pentagon model described above

was used along with the concepts of variability in thread

spacing and movement.

Each textile fragment was reassessed in light of the crafts-

man's knowledge of what happens in a fabric during its

construction. New details were added to the descriptions

of the seven visual groups.

• tabby 'character' (page 95) appears as a distinct

tabby weave, looking balanced, and with thread

systems that appear straight. The balanced look is due

to the thread-count in conjunction with yarn diameter.

The straight thread systems arise from a dense sett,

which does not leave sufficient space between threads

to allow movement. This may be the result of construc-

tion on the loom and the weaving, or that the fabric has

been through a finishing process that prevents move-

ment and thereby keeps the threads straight.

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• 'movable' tabby (page 97) has a curving or undulating

movement in the yarn in one or both thread systems

and this movement is seen as two-dimensional. There

is noticeable space between the threads. Twist in the

yarn, combined with sufficient spacing between

threads, allows for movement. Here, torsion has a

mutual relationship with thread count and/or yarn

diameter that may create this type of movement, but

hinders the development of 'crow's-feet' or 'crepe'

tabby. To allow movement to take place, there also

must be enough space between the threads. This space

can be due to a more open sett, but space also can

occur due to the variability in thread spacing caused by

weaving. It is unlikely that the textile has

been through a hard finishing process, since shrinking

would be likely to occur and impede this type of

movement.

• 'crow's-feet' tabby (page 99) is characterised by

lines on the fabric surface that resemble a bird's foot-

print. The lines are created by warp and/or weft yarns

forming a faint twill or diamond pattern. This phenome-

non is seen as a three-dimensional movement. Lines

occur when the threads are relatively well balanced

both in thread count and diameter. Some space bet-

ween the threads also is necessary, but not as much

as in 'movable' tabby. The lines are caused by a com-

bination of torsion in the yarn and the fact that spacing

and yarn diameter allow movement. Twist determines

how clearly the lines are visible. When a yarn attempts

to untwist, tension occurs and the yarn will form small,

local elevations on the fabric's surface. In 'crow's-feet'

tabby, these appear with regularity and form diagonal

lines. It is important to note that twist direction does not

influence this phenomenon. The fabric has not been

through a hard finishing process.

• 'crepe' tabby (page 101) has a more or less bubbly

surface with thread movement that is seen as three-

dimensional. Both open weave and dense textiles can

be found in this group. They combine hard to very hard

twisted yarns in at least one system with open spacing,

or very hard twisted yarns in one or both systems with

higher thread density. If thread count and/or yarn dia-

meter is balanced, the textiles differ from 'crow's-feet'

tabby in having a more dense sett and/or a higher yarn

torsion, which creates a bubbly appearance instead of

lines. If thread count is unbalanced, with dense warp

sett and more spaced weft, or vice versa, the small,

local elevations that in 'crow's-feet' tabby create lines,

become, in 'crepe' tabby, so steep or flattened that the

eye does not perceive them as diagonal lines at all.

Instead, they merge with the warp or weft. Some

'crepe' tabbies have a torsion that is so high that the

bubbles appear to cover the surface totally. A crepe

look can appear in all twist combinations, s/s s/z, z/z,

z/s, but they give various textures to the fabric. The

denser fabrics in this group have probably been

through a hard finishing process.

• 'flat' tabby (page 103) is seen as a fabric with a very

smooth, flat surface, where the binding texture is more

or less invisible. They often have a weft-faced appea-

rance, and have straight thread systems. The weft yarn

is loosely spun which allows it to 'spread out'. They

have a fine warp and weft, which gives very thin or thin

fabrics. If coarser, the textile no longer looks smooth

and flat because the yarns' contours will dominate and

these textiles cannot be grouped as 'flat' tabby. The

more or less weft-faced sett, in combination with the

fine yarns in both systems and the loosely spun weft,

create this very smooth, flat surface. The relatively high

thread density, in combination with the loosely spun

weft yarn that tends to 'spread', leaves no room for

movement. This also causes the thread systems to

appear straight, even if the warp is not exactly evenly

spaced. The fabric probably has been through a rela-

tively hard finishing process.

• 'slightly ribbed' (page 105) tabby is a fabric with faint

ribs in the warp direction. It is weft-faced, with straight

thread systems. The group includes thin as well as

slightly coarser fabrics. The weft yarn is usually, but not

always, loosely spun. The faint ribs are due to a slightly

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coarser or a more spaced warp than in 'flat' tabby and

they have such a dense weft that no movement is

allowed. The thread systems appear straight due to

weft density and possibly also because the fabric has

been through a hard finishing process, which may

straighten irregularities.

• 'ribbed' tabby (page 107) has distinct ribs in the warp

direction and straight thread systems. The warp is well

spaced and the weft is very densely packed. The weft

yarn usually is finer than the warp and often, but not

always, loosely spun. The distinct ribs are created by a

wellspaced warp that is clearly coarser than the weft,

together with very high weft density. The high density

prevents movement. As in 'slightly ribbed' tabby the

thread systems appear straight due to the weft density

and probably also a finishing process that may

straighten irregularities. It is most likely that these

fabrics have been through a hard finishing process.

Using traditional technical analyses, the Mons Claudianus

tabby textiles appeared to be a relatively homogenous

group. Visually, however, there were clear differences, and

through a more comprehensive technical analysis, together

with subjective analysis and using handicraft knowledge, it

was possible to understand and explain these differences.

Visual Groups: Twill and Damask

The approach of visual grouping was also applied to the

woolen twills and damasks from Mons Claudianus. At an

early stage the damask textiles were also included, as

they proved hard to separate from twills by the eye.

Five easily assigned visual groups were established. They

include most of the analysed textiles: 1; thinner, plain twills,

with a flat texture, connected, in some way, to 2; thinner

twills and damasks with a slightly barred texture and to 3;

thinner twills and damasks with a block or diamond patter-

ned texture.

Also 4; coarser, plain twills, with a balanced texture con-

nected to 5; with a balanced texture somewhat a little

thinner than group 4, with a block or diamond patterned

texture, including a few textiles in broken-reverse twill.

Further, these groups can be divided into two different

categories, A: the first three groups being thinner and

more or less weft-faced and B: the last two groups, being

often coarser and balanced.

The following model illustrates the relationship

between the established groups.

A: 1 2 3

B: 4 5

Model of visual twills and damask groups

Plain twill –

'Flat' texture

Patterned twill

and damask –

Barred texture

Patterned twill

and damask –

Block/diamond

texture

Plain twill –

Balanced texture

Patterned twill –

Balanced texture

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Description and characterisation

of the visual groups

Plain, 'flat' twill

Contains thinner twills, so tightly woven

that it is difficult to determine if the

binding is 2/1 or 2/2 twill. They give

a dense, stable expression without

being stiff. Many are brown. The

group shows affinity with the 'flat'

tabby textiles. As in the 'flat' tabby

group the weft yarn is loosely spun

which allows it to 'spread out', and

the more or less weft-faced sett, in

combination with fine yarns in both

systems and the loosely spun weft,

create its smooth, flat surface. The

high weft density, in combination with

the loosely spun weft yarn, leaves little

room for movement and causes the

thread systems to appear straight, even

if the warp is not exactly evenly spaced.

The fabric probably has been through a

relatively hard finishing process.

MC 1139: 2/1 twill

MC 1217: 2/2 twill

1 cm

1 cm

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Barred patterned twill and damask

This group consists of barred

damasks and a few broken-reverse

twills. The fabrics are classified as

thinner and give an expression of

being densely woven, but they are

not as dense as some of the 'flat'

twills. Most of the textiles are dyed,

mainly blue. As the 'flat' twills they

give a stable expression without being

stiff and have a smooth surface. Both

the damask and the broken-reverse

binding give the textiles a striped or

barred texture in weft-direction, and

this together with similarities in thick-

ness, density and colour places the

textiles in the same visual group.

MC 1098: broken reverse twill

MC 0745: barred damask

1 cm

1 cm

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Block patterned twill and damask

This group also consists of damasks

and a few diamond twills. The bindings

give the textiles a block or sometimes

a diamond pattern. These, too, are

classified as thinner and with an

expression of being dense, but they

are in general not as dense as the

two groups described

above. They also give a more durable

or pliable feeling with a more woolly

surface texture than the two previous

groups. This may probably be due to

that fact that the fabrics are not so

densely woven. The fabrics are

generally dyed green or red. The

both bindings give the textiles

common pattern and this together

with similarities in thickness, density

and colour places the textiles in the

same visual group (cf. Roman

damasks see Ciszuk 2002).

MC 1088: diamond twill

MC 1097: block damask

1 cm

1 cm

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Plain, balanced twill

This group contains both 2/1 twills

and 2/2 twills. Fabrics of this group

appear distinctly different from the

above types and also from the majo-

rity of tabbies. This is due to the well-

balanced appearance in combination

with the fact that it is, in most cases,

not possible to distinguish between

warp and weft yarns and that the tex-

tiles are coarse. The balanced look is

due to the threadcount in conjunction

with yarn diameter and this gives the

textiles a distinct twill character. Dyed

textiles are not so common.

MC 0531: 2/1 twill

MC 1132: 2/2 twill1 cm

1 cm

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Patterned, balanced twill

In this group the majority of the textiles

are diamond twills. Only a few are

woven in broken-reverse twill, and

some of them are so small that they

may have been diamond twills. The

textiles are thinner than the group

above but give the same impression

of being well balanced. It is striking

that the pattern unit is of so similar

size. Many of the textiles are dyed.

This group is closely related to the

balanced plain twills, the visual diffe-

rence lays only in thickness and pattern.

MC 1378: broken reverse twill

MC 1068: diamond twill

Normally, textiles are grouped accor-

ding to technical aspects such as

binding and twist- directions. The

visual groups outlined above do not

fit into this structuring principle.

Instead, aspects such as expression

of density, balance, and patterning

are decisive and these capture the

fabrics' character.

1 cm

1 cm

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Fabric Thickness and Density: a method of

grouping textiles

One of the aims of the Textiles of Seafaring project was to

identify textiles that were suitable for use as sails, or gar-

ments appropriate for use at sea among medieval textiles

from Trondheim and Lödöse. Properties such as warmth,

wind- and water resistance, and strength were investiga-

ted, and related to relevant parameters in the fabrics'

structure. It became clear that fabric thickness and density

were important factors in understanding and comparing

textile texture and structure, for sailcloth as well as fabrics

for garments. This, combined with knowledge built up

during work with Mons Claudianus textiles, resulted in an

attempt to capture and classify fabric thickness and density.

Fabric Thickness and Density

The textile industry uses weight per square unit to classify

textiles into different qualities, such as light or heavy

weight fabrics. Thickness also can be measured by com-

pressing the fabric with a specific pressure between two

solid, parallel plates. The interval between the plates gives

the fabric's thickness. Neither method is easily applied to

archaeological textiles.

To describe fabric density the textile industry uses cover

factor (Russell 1965). The definition of cover factor is the

ratio of the area covered by the yarn, to the total area

covered by the fabric (Wynne 1997; Collier & Tortora 2001).

The cover factor is calculated by the following formula:

WA + WE - (WA x WE)

where WA and WE stand for thread count per cm x yarn

diameter (cm) in the warp and weft respectively. This for-

mula produces a number which represents the fabric's

density; the higher the number, the more dense is the

fabric. The theoretical maximum density is 1.0 and there-

fore, a measure of 0.9 represents a dense fabric (Kärrman

1996; Russell 1965). This calculating formula can be used

on archaeological textiles.

Fabric Thickness in Archaeological Textiles

To find a way to describe and quantify thickness in archa-

eological textiles was complicated, since methods used

by the textile industry were not applicable. A method used

by archaeologists to describe or group textiles is to use

the fabric's thread count, or the number of threads per cm

in warp and weft. In this method a low thread count corre-

sponds to a coarse quality textile and conversely, a high

thread count reflects a fine quality fabric (Tidow 1982;

Bender Jørgensen 1991 a). However, thread count is a

quantitative measure and thus it can be misleading to use

it as a qualitative description such as coarse, medium or

fine, without taking into account the diameter of the threads.

Instead, a system based on comparisons of visually per-

ceived thickness, noted when analysing textiles was deve-

loped. The Lödöse textiles offered an opportunity to apply

a very careful comparison. The room where the analysis

took place made it possible to display all of the textiles at

once, thereby allowing to sort them into groups by thick-

ness. The visually perceived fabrics' densities and how

that influenced perception of thickness was also noted.

Research on the Trondheim and Lödöse material resulted

in six different thickness groups based on visual observa-

tions and this gave a good basis for further work.

The next step in finding a way to classify a fabric's thick-

ness was to develop a method based on quantifiable

measures. This began with the Lödöse textiles because

they comprised the collection that had received the most

systematic examination. Subsequently, the textiles from

Trondheim and Mons Claudianus were included, allowing

a broader approach.

Theoretical studies in weaving, and experiences from

practical work with both reconstruction and test weaving,

show that yarn diameter is an important factor in a fabric's

thickness. Therefore, it was decided to test if it was

appropriate to use yarn diameter in warp and weft as a

measure of a textile's thickness.

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Yarn Diameter and Visually Perceived Thickness

In Diagram 1 the hypothesis - that yarn diameter in warp

and weft is a measure of approximate thickness was

tested. Each textile from the six visually perceived thick-

ness groups from Lödöse has been added to the diagram

according to its warp and weft yarn diameters.

Diagram 1 shows a correlation between yarn diameter and

visual thickness group. There is some overlapping,

although in these case notes from the original analysis

were carefully reviewed. In some cases it showed that the

textile was difficult to assess. For example, a medium-

coarse textile with the same yarn diameter as a medium

textile had a notation of 'medium-coarse towards medium'.

For other textiles it was clear that the fabric's density influ-

enced the visual perception. For example, a more open

weave textile was perceived as thinner than a more den-

sely woven textile with the same yarn diameter.

Diagram 1: Yarn Diameter in Relation to Perceived Textile

Thickness, Lödöse Textiles. (Number = 56. One symbol

in the diagram may represent more than one textile.)

As a comparison, Diagram 2 shows the same textiles

using thread count as a measure of fabric thickness. This

shows a weak correlation between thread count and visual

thickness group and here the overlapping is much greater.

Diagram 2: Thread Count in Warp and Weft in Relation to

Perceived Textile Thickness, Lödöse Textiles. (Number =

56. One symbol in the diagram may represent more than

one textile.)

The diagrams made it clear that it was feasible to continue

with yarn diameter as a parameter to describe thickness,

and this was tested on the textiles from Trondheim and

Mons Claudianus in the same way. The textiles from

these two collections also made it apparent that the fabric's

density affected how thickness was perceived visually.

When applying the method to textiles from Mons Claudianus,

it became clear that an additional category of 'very thin' was

required, because that material contained many thinner tex-

tiles than those from the Lödöse and Trondheim collections.

Since fabric density clearly affected the textile's thickness, it

was decided to include density in the work with thickness

classifications. Four groups based on the cover factor

were constructed:

Density Group Cover Factor

open: ≤ 0.74

medium dense: 0.75 - 0.94

dense: 0.95 - 1.09

very dense: 1.10 ≥

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These divisions have been determined by assessments

made on both archaeological and modern hand- and

machine-woven fabrics. Some fabrics have a cover factor

higher than the theoretical maximum of 1.0. This can

occur because the formula is based on the assumption

that yarns are compact cylinders in the shape of a circle,

but in reality, a yarn may be more or less elliptical. A hard

spun yarn is more compact and circular relative to a loo-

sely spun yarn. As a result, the actual cover factor of a

fabric may not correspond to a theoretical value.

Classification Categories

The resulting system is comprised of both thickness and

density. It is important to note that only woollen textiles

have been analysed and that the classification system has

not been tested on textiles made of other fibres.

There are seven thickness groups, ranging from very thin

to very coarse. They are divided by a range equal to the

warp yarn diameter (wa yd) plus weft yarn diameter (we yd).

Thickness Group x where x = wa yd + we yd (mm)

very thin: ≤ 0.6

thin: 0.6 - 0.9

thin-medium: 0.9 - 1.2

medium: 1.2 - 1.6

medium-coarse: 1.6 - 2.0

coarse: 2.0 - 2.4

very coarse: 2.4 ≥

If a textile's measurement is on the borderline between

two groups then the fabric's density will be taken into

account to determine which group it belongs to. If the tex-

tile is denser and has a cover factor of 0.90 or higher, it

will be placed in the higher, or coarser, group. Conversely,

if the textile is less dense and has a cover factor of less

than 0.90, it will be placed in the lower, or thinner, group.

For example, a textile with a warp yarn diameter of 0.3mm

and a weft yarn diameter of 0.3mm, with a cover factor of

0.94, will be classified as thin:

wa yd 0.3mm + we yd 0.3mm = 0.6mm (very thin or thin

categories), but the high cover factor of 0.94 places this

fabric in the thin category

Taken together, the thickness and density groupings resul-

ted in 28 different categories, from very thin, open fabrics

(group 1a) to very coarse, very dense fabrics (group 7d).

Categories very thin thin- medium medium- coarse very

thin medium coarse coarse

open 1a 2a 3a 4a 5a 6a 7a

medium 1b 2b 3b 4b 5b 6b 7b

dense

dense 1c 2c 3c 4c 5c 6c 7c

very dense 1d 2d 3d 4d 5d 6d 7d

A weakness in the grouping system is that it does not take

into account the effect of different weaves on fabric thick-

ness and density. A fabric woven in half-basket, basket, or

twill weave will be slightly thicker than a tabby woven

fabric. As a result, this method will be most reliable when

textiles of the same weave are compared.

Textiles that have been heavily felted cannot be grouped

using this method. Such textiles could be treated as a

separate group and given only visual descriptions.

This method can be seen as a tool for describing and

interpreting large finds of textiles where the similarities, in

terms of technical description, are great, but where diffe-

rences in texture and properties are visually apparent. In

the Mons Claudianus material a majority of the textiles

share the same technical features (tabby with twist direc-

tion s/s). In Lödöse, to give another example, common

technical features are 2/1 twill, z/s. Here we need a more

suitable tool to distinguish between the textiles, and the

thickness and density grouping system can provide this.

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Conclusion

Classifying textiles into visual groups allows a more com-

plex description of each fabric's appearance and enables

an examination according to a range of parameters that

differ from those of traditional textile analysis. Handicraft

knowledge can supply an important set of data that is not

possible using technical analysis alone. The Pentagon

model illustrates this, and can be used to understand a

textile's complexity, how the different factors are related,

and how a textile is the sum of the phases of its construc-

tion. Traditional methods, coupled with subjective analysis

and handicraft knowledge, provide a holistic approach to

understanding the textile, and insights into the skill and

knowledge applied by early craftspeople.

The proposed classification of thickness and density

makes it possible to describe and interpret textiles with

similar technical descriptions but apparent differences in

texture and properties. It also opens possibilities for cate-

gorising properties that are reflected by a fabric's thick-

ness and density, and thus for further interpretation and

fields of application.

This way, handicraft knowledge provides a useful tool

towards the description and interpretation of archaeologi-

cal and historical textiles.

Acknowledgements

A grateful acknowledgement to the Swedish Research

Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSFR),

the Joint Committee of the Research Councils for the

Humanities (NOS-H) and the European Union through its

Raphael programme for their generous support.

Special thanks are due to Carol Christiansen, who put in a

major and essential job in editing my text into English; and

to W. D. Cooke for supporting my work on a classification

of thickness and density. Finally I owe a debt of gratitude

to all members of the Mons Claudianus Textile Project for

their support and participation as discussion partners.

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Photo: Lise Bender Jørgensen

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