Living Textiles
Find here an overview of my student research projects, group experiences and exhibitions.
All image credits to Jasmin Sermonet if no further name is provided.
Introduction/ The burgeoning field of designing living textiles, blending traditional textile craft with living organisms, piqued my academic interest in 2020 – a period marked by significant global challenges that underscored the imperative of reevaluating our relationship with the natural world.
My fascination with living textiles was particularly shaped by the dynamics of root growth, for which Diana Scherer and Svenja Keune were my strongest source of inspiration and motivation. These textiles transcend their conventional utility by dynamically interacting with their environment, presenting a new paradigm for sustainable design and biotechnological innovation. Root growth, a research focus of mine, underscores their ecological significance as binding agents. In these academic pursuits, I delve into the intricate interplay of nature and textile technology on a handcraft and industrial scale, exploring the potential and implications of living textiles, contributing to the scholarly dialogue in this evolving field.
Entwurfsprojekt IV, FG Textil- und Flächen-Design, Betreuung Prof. Christiane Sauer, Ebba Fransén Waldhör & Maxie Schneider In Kooperation mit Exzellenzcluster Matters of Activity, HU Berlin: Dr. Bastian Beyer, Iva Resetar, Dr. Michaela Eder, STFI Chemnitz: Dr. Heike Illing-Günther
Foto: Dr. Mareike Stoll
Co-Habitant on Earth Yarrn
SUPERGREENS. Bachelor Project on Root Growth.
DAOULA/Sheen. Exhibition piece Earth Yarn shown from 10/2022 to 04/2023 at the Tieranatomisches Museum Berlin.
More tests on guided rooth growth.
Built in Hvalsø during Living Textile Collective Spring Camp 2021
Super Greens
Graduation project 2021/22 at Art Academy Berlin Weissensee
SUPER GREENS is a process-focused material research and proposes a fully biodegradable composite material able to host life. The material, a yarn embedded with plant seeds, finds its purpose in the architectural scale, bringing plant life into urban anthropised spaces – and starting a dialogue with Nature.
Following designers investigating living textiles, e.g. Diana Scherer and Svenja Keune, this body of work is investigates co-creation with plants for textile surface design and proposes a sustainable composite material option with root growth as binding agent. Through entanglements of roots that navigate with intrinsic intelligence through the mini ecosystem, the material forms into solid surfaces. The living cycles of the material are part of the experience and makes change tangible in proximity – from the joy of discovering the first stems to the mellow sadness when the material is buried in soil.
Super Greens bring the focus back to the now and questions how we want to live in the future.
Earth Yarn
Created during the MoA Design Research Studio “Scaling Fiber: Experimental Yarn” SoSe21
Betreuung Prof. Christiane Sauer, Ebba Fransén Waldhör & Maxie Schneider In Kooperation mit Exzellenzcluster Matters of Activity, HU Berlin: Dr. Bastian Beyer, Iva Resetar, Dr. Michaela Eder, STFI Chemnitz: Dr. Heike Illing-Günther
What will the habitats of the future look like and for whom are they (not) designed? What can a material look like that acts as a mediator between nature and humankind? Earth Yarn as a speculative material addresses these questions.
For the KeMaFil soil yarn, low-threshold materials such as soil, seeds and cellullose materials were used to demonstrate multiplicity in simplicity. Soil, while not endlessly available, is often a „leftover“ to an extent e.g. when soil has been excavated. Different types of soil can be adapted to different climates, needs and plants.
The growth of the embedded seeds create a habitat that you could call insect-friendly biotopes. As the dwindling number of insects and the growing concern of it finally affect mankind, the Earth Yarn can play a major role as a habitat provider in urban landscapes.
The Soil Yarn is affected by external influences such as rain, light and temperature and follows a natural life cycle. After the flowering period of the yarn, it can be returned to the soil and be revalued by the incorporated dead plant remains. If the roots have grown so strongly that they have solidified themselves in and around the yarn, a skeletal continuation of the structure can still be a remnant of a natural life cycle.
