Dialogic weaving: a favorable tension between design and craft

2018

Design Studies, 1999

T his paper concerns applications for crafts knowledge to design for industry. Despite theoretical advocation for increased collaboration between craft makers and manufacturers, empirical research has previously been limited to anecdotal narrative. The aim of this paper is to offset this imbalance by documenting an example of best practice, examining the nature of expertise derived from crafts knowledge and its effect on both design process and product.

Design Studies, 1999

Collaboration between manufacturers and craft makers is believed by many crafts theorists to offer new originality, insight and specialist expertise to design for production. In practice, however, there exists a discrepancy between this ideal and a reality of unreconcilable cultural and methodological differences. This paper documents and discusses such a collaboration as an example of best practice with implications for managers, educators, designers and craft makers. It identifies a new role for craft makers with the appropriate knowledge and experience to act as bridges within companies, facilitating the adoption of design methodologies appropriate to changing priorities in the manufacturing industries.

15th Annual STS Conference Graz 2016, 2016

2016

Trevor Marchand – currently Professor of Social Anthropology at the School of African and Oriental Studies – has spent a long career in studying craft development, organisation and transmission in different cultures. He has conducted fieldwork with craftspeople in Yemen (minaret building and apprenticeship practices), Mali (the work of masons in Djenne) and East London where he qualified as a fine woodworker at the Building Crafts College. This collection of readings – arising out of a workshop held at Plymouth College of Art in 2013 on problem-solving in craftwork – covers a vast range of domains including glassblowing, horse training, bicycle repair work, videography, furniture and ceramic production, building conservation, dressmaking and weaving, and explores some fascinating philosophical, cultural and ethical aspects of the multi-faceted nature of craftworking in contemporary times.

2017

In this paper, we argue that design can empower a craftsperson and accordingly provides the ability to maintain her work and practice. In addition, it can provide new opportunities to the local community she is part of. The study presents case studies from the field of felting in Turkey, a rooted craft that has been transforming in the last two decades from design and product range views. With this study, we aim to understand the field of felting in Turkey and the role of design in the transitioning of felting. First, we present the general situation based on the interviews that we conducted with eight craftspeople. After that, we group their practices into three main approaches, namely artistic, design, or conventional craft, according to their way of idea generation, by following Ihatsu’s (1998: 170) diagram for craft perspectives. Finally, we present in detail one craftsperson from each of the three approaches. Based on these findings, we argue that craftspeople who use design ar...

The article describes expertise in the process of professional-level weaving design. The weaving-design process was considered as a dual-space search between the visual, composition space and the technical, construction space, subject to external (environmental, contextual) and internally generated constraints. Composition space, which is seen as a domain-independent design process, consists of the organization of the visual elements and principles selected and manipulated during design process. The visual elements consist of shape design, color design, and pattern design elements. Construction space, which is seen as a domain-specific design process, consists of organization and manipulation of the technical elements and principles. The technical elements include material design, structure design (e.g., weave and density) and design of production procedures (e.g., technique, yarn floats). Technical design strongly influences textiles’ surface. The selection of the visual elements requires a search through the composition space, and the selection of technical elements requires search through the construction space. The pivotal aspect of the weaving design process is the gathering and utilization of domain-specific knowledge, in conjunction with the visual and technical characteristics of the desired textile. Given this as a starting point, the knowledge of traditional weaves, models and techniques of weaving, the study of materials and their interrelationships and the organization of visual elements then become crucial in bringing the textile into the realm of the tangible. This article depicts expertise in weaving design by examining how professionally experienced designers and advanced students of weaving design solved a professional weaving-design task. The participants were asked to solve the weaving design task while thinking aloud in two, design sessions. The data consisted of (1) verbal protocols, (2) video protocols, and (3) written and drawn material produced by the participants. The data was analyzed through qualitative content analysis and problem-behavior graphs (PBGs). The weaving design shared many prototypical characteristics of design process. The nature of weaving design indicated that the participants focused on composition design in the first and construction design in the second design session. An analysis of the relative importance of the composition, construction and constraints in the participants’ designing indicated that they followed identifiable design orientations (i.e., composition orientation, composition- construction orientation, and constraint orientation).

2017

In this paper, we argue that design can empower a craftsperson and accordingly provides the ability to maintain her work and practice. In addition, it can provide new opportunities to the local community she is part of. The study presents case studies from the field of felting in Turkey, a rooted craft that has been transforming in the last two decades from design and product range views. With this study, we aim to understand the field of felting in Turkey and the role of design in the transitioning of felting. First, we present the general situation based on the interviews that we conducted with eight craftspeople. After that, we group their practices into three main approaches, namely artistic, design, or conventional craft, according to their way of idea generation, by following Ihatsu’s (1998: 170) diagram for craft perspectives. Finally, we present in detail one craftsperson from each of the three approaches. Based on these findings, we argue that craftspeople who use design ar...

Journal of textile design, research and practice, 2015

The role of hand weaving in digital creation There is a growing body of practice-led textile research, focused on how digital technologies can inform new design and production strategies that challenge and extend the field. To date, this research has emphasized a traditional linear transition between hand and digital production; with hand production preceding digital as a means of acquiring the material and process knowledge required to negotiate technologies and conceptualize designs. This paper focuses on current Doctoral research into the design and prototyping of 3D woven or 'composite' garments and how the re-learning, or reinterpreting, of hand weaving techniques in a digital Jacquard format relies heavily on experiential knowledge of craft weaving skills. Drawing parallels between hand weaving and computer programming, that extend beyond their shared binary (pixel-based) language, the paper discusses how the machine-mediated experience of hand weaving can prime the weaver to 'think digitally' and make the transition to digital production. In a process where the weaver acts simultaneously as designer, constructor and programmer, the research explores the Anna Piper and Dr Katherine Townsend inspiring, but often indefinable space between craft and digital technology by challenging the notion that 'the relationship between hand, eye and material' naturally precedes the use of computing (Harris 2012: 93). This is achieved through the development of an iterative working methodology that encompasses a cycle of transitional development, where hand weaving and digital processes take place in tandem, and techniques and skills are reinterpreted to exploit the advantages and constraints of each construction method. It is argued that the approach challenges the codes and conventions of computer programming, weaving and fashion design to offer a more sustainable clothing solution.

It is possible to create a synergy between industrial designers and artisan groups to stimulate the development and preservation of a local craft in a sustainable and commercially viable way. This study aims to explore how designers may collaborate with artisans to unearth new opportunities for a local craft and how designers can make contributions to the artisan community. Rush-weaving is a traditional local handcraft practiced by generations of Taiwanese artisans using indigenous materials to make functional and decorative items. To research the possibilities of a craft-design collaboration, a monitored project was conducted, where local rush weavers and design students worked together to create new product concepts. As a result of the collaboration, seven design concepts were proposed to expand this traditional craft into contemporary markets. Drawing from the collaborative experience, this study proposes a craft-design collaboration process to form the basis of an approach for local craft development and sustainability. Knowledge gained through this activity suggests that the concept of craft product design is embodied by combining what is desirable in craft with what is possible through design. This study reveals that designers can play a catalytic role in facilitating the propagation of local craft knowledge into other industries. This can cultivate the local craft industry and empower artisans to further their own innovations. This paper highlights the value of the alliance between craft and design as a mutual learning mechanism, where both sides can exchange knowledge and enhance their professional capabilities.