Are you interested in innovative technology, textile and crafts? Join us for our showcase event 'Interweaving innovation' where several inspiring innovations developed at the Textilelab of Waag Futurelab will be presented. From the timescales of the natural world to digitally crafted garments and their relation to our senses, explore a world of innovation and inspiration. You will also be able to experience innovative color printing with our hacked textile printingmachine the HaptiColor.
The presentations are the result of research performed by our Fabricademy students and the Tracks4Crafts research pilot. In this project we explore how to hack fablab equipment into textile printers that use natural dyes and mordants, and print with varying levels of interactive intervention by the craftsperson. This results in a system of modular, interactive inputs that you can use to control bio-inks, brush motion and pressure while printing with a machine as well as open source documentation on the process and results.
An interactive exhibition will showcase the iterations and development of the hacked machine and workflows, called HaptiColor, and the variety of outcomes created during the experimental phase of the project. There will also be an opportunity for the public to experience and experiment with the machine through haptic input, co-creating and contributing to a growing living exhibition.
Programme
| 18:00 - 18:30 | Doors open |
| 18:30 - 19:00 | Introduction to the academy programmes |
| 19:00 - 20:00 | Showcasing textile innovations |
| 20:00 - 22:00 | Drinks and exhibition |
Fo the showcase the following Fabricademy participants will be presenting:
- Isobel Jo Leonard - presenting "Keeping time"
- Carolina Beirão - presenting "in/asense"
- Francis Hörters - presenting "A different way of being"
After the showcase event, the participants' works and the Tracks4Crafts Living Archive will be on display at the Waag on Friday 11 April between 12:00 and 17:00 hrs.
Accessibility
If the entrance fee is an issue for you, please get in touch with kelly [@] waag [dot] org.
About Tracks4Crafts: Hacking the Machines
TextileLab Amsterdam explores how "hacking the machines" of a classic textile or fablab can create new opportunities for craftspeople to innovate the craft of printing on textiles using natural dyes and their traditional processes. Our aim is to create an alternative protocol for these processes, where the artisans retain their creative, knowledge-holding role, while creating new technological interventions to enable hybrid artisans and equipment that values both the artisan, the tools & medium necessary for the craft to take place, and the technological advances available through code and machine hacks. All of our research is documented and published online, along with the files and code needed to replicate the machine hacks for your own machines.
These technological interventions allow us to offer new degrees of freedom and new degrees of collaboration between the craftsperson and the machine. To further embody the artisan approach in this technical setup, we are incorporating interactive inputs - tangible sensors to guide and optimize the language and actions of the machines. At the core of these interventions around textile printing, we bring together our expertise in natural dyes, machine communication protocols and interactive interface development.
This research is informed by our model of Craftsmanship 2.0, which describes the skilful mastery of a hybrid craft that recognises the power of both human and technological agency, but also the value of the performative act, spontaneous intervention and varying degrees of production freedom.
Find out more on the Tracks4Crafts project page.
About Fabricademy
Fabricademy is taught in various places around the world, with Waag's TextileLab Amsterdam being one of the first labs to do this. Here, researchers, artists, engineers and creatives explore the future of textiles and the garment industry. Think of it as a playground for craftsmanship, heritage, technology, digital fabrication, shared knowledge and biology.
Our textile academy provides a broad overview of the latest innovations in textiles and clothing. As a student, you will attend in-depth lectures on topics such as circular fashion, wearable technology, bio-manufactured materials and sustainability. Together with experts, you will apply new knowledge to carry out your own research project within the TextileLab.
You will also gain hands-on experience with digital fabrication machines such as laser cutters, 3D printers and CNC milling machines.
Interested? Visit academy.waag.org for more information.
