Origins Crafts Council Exhibition

Digital textile design and print is a rapidly developing field within textiles and fashion. This research explores the interface between traditional craft skills, digital technology, and environmental design. The intention is to rediscover historical and traditional textile elements that are being overlooked in the new technological explosion, with the intention of redefining the computer aesthetic for textiles. Recent conferences - ‘New Craft / Future Voices’, (University of Dundee, 2007) and the ETN’s ‘Digital Craft’ (Metropolitan University, London, 2007) - focus on the interaction between textile crafts, manufacture and digital technologies. My research is unique in its aim to combine historical and environmental considerations with digital design in order to create contemporary craft works. The research uses the technical accuracy of the vector graphics program Adobe Illustrator as a design tool. The digital stylus replicates the meticulous process of the embroiderer’s needle to build complex motifs, streamlined shapes and subtle colour blends, which are found in historical embroidered textile pieces. The research focuses on retaining the beauty and richness of cultural and historical imagery in its design, but within a contemporary context to create a ‘future antique’. It aims to reconnects the viewer to the past craft and beauty of historical textiles, recently lost with the advent of new technology. The research also explores digitally printed textiles in terms of the environmental benefits they have over traditionally printied textiles, (Hitoshi Ujiie, Philadelphia University, 'The Role and Impact of Digital Textile Printing in Globalization', ‘Designer Meets Technology’ conference, Copenhagen 2005). In addition the research also addresses notions about the emotional value of a textile product to give it a longer life, (Jonathon Chapman’s ‘Emotionally Durable Design’, 2005). The resulting collection was exhibited at ‘Origins’, following a rigourous selction process by a panel of renowned experts in the field of contemporary craft.