Textile Patterns and Spatiality

Transcription

1 Paper for Nordes Conference Doctoral Consortium 2013 Textile Patterns and Spatiality Tonje Kristensen Johnstone PhD student in design at The Swedish School of Textiles, University of Borås, Sweden Abstract This paper concerns how textile design students deal with textile patterns and scale problems in relation to spatial contexts from the perspective of textile design. The study investigates how design students are working with pattern design in a full- scale Pattern Lab. The results should assist textile designers in their daily work as pattern designers. Both practical work and observations in the Pattern Lab as well as interviews were used as method. The result provided support of the fact that knowledge is needed about pattern design and scale problems. The contribution is to give the designer a better understanding of scale and size in designing textile patterns and to find functions and characteristics among different patterns in spatial contexts. Introduction Textile designers has a wide range of roles and are often required to make decisions throughout the design process, for instance within color, pattern and fabric aesthetics (Stevenson and Steed, 2012). Stevenson and Steed also describes the textile designer as a designer that understands, and is trained in how to produce a design for a particular fabric type, such as print, knit and woven textiles. They are also skilled in development of textile design that is suitable for a given purpose; for the body e.g. fabric design for fashion, accessories and clothing, or for a particular space; textile and material design for the built environment, interior, furnishing and transport. The aim of this on going practice- based research project is to explore and discuss the relationships between textile patterns, scale and spatial contexts from the perspective of textile design. In my daily work as a senior lecturer at the textile design education at The Swedish School of Textiles, I meet students every day dealing with pattern and scale issues. During teaching in pattern repeats for textile design, the students are repeatedly encouraged to try out their patterns in the right scale. For instance by projection, sketches or printouts in 1:1 scale, all in attempt to find out how the patterns are perceived in a room environment. The importance of visual response, to give yourself visual options and not to make decisions in your head is vital during pattern development. My experience is that the students are rather attached to the computer as a tool, and the resistance towards leaving the workstation is noticeable. Why is that so? Is it physically too hard to do scale experiments? Are they afraid that their try- outs will give an unpleasant outcome? And for that reason lead them to changes in form of additional work, new findings and so on? Or maybe the student doesn t knows how to proceed in practice? And finally; what to do and how will they relate to the result? Previous attempts in the textile design education have been shorter workshops in projection exercises connected to specific projects. According to the students, the impression from these sessions is that the results were quite satisfying but without an obvious connection and follow- up. Although some literature and research pay attention to pattern and scale (Dee, 2001), less research has investigated how the designer s handling with the scale problems (Ching, 2007) in a textile and pattern design context. 1

2 Against this background, the purpose of this research project is to answer the research questions How can the designer get a better understanding of scale and size in designing textile patterns and what kind of functions and characteristics do different patterns have in spatial contexts? The paper has three parts. First, it reviews experiments on the pattern and scale problems. Next the evaluation of experiments is discussed and summarized. The paper concludes with a discussion and directions for further research. Experiments: In close connection to teaching in pattern repeats for textile design students, a workshop divided in two parts was conducted to get a better understanding of scale and size in designing textile patterns and how patterns affect the perception of spatiality and scale. Students that participated were the first year BA level, and they worked with current patterns from earlier projects. The workshop was held in The Pattern Lab, a full- scale pattern laboratory, equipped with projectors, computers, cameras and textile fabrics. The Pattern Lab can be compared to a textile test chamber, where conceivable to design provisional spatiality for studying how patterns of all kinds are experienced. The students worked in small groups (4-5 pers.) and by using projectors they were supposed to provide pattern experiments. Pattern and scale experiment no What scale? Start by making a scale exercise in at least 5 steps. Work with the scale in relation to your own body. Photograph every step from the same distance with a scale reference, for instance someone's back. Questions to discuss: How are the different scales experienced in the room? What does the pattern size/scale do with the flat surface? Students working with wall and pattern projecting in scale 1:1 to understand different outcomes in diverse scale and sizes. The same pattern occurs in three different scales in the three pictures. The Swedish School of Textiles Pattern designer: Hanna Bredberg. Photo: Tonje K Johnstone. 2

3 Pattern and scale experiment no Unpleasant or not? Try to achieve an uncomfortable feeling in the room by the help of scale, colour and your current patterns. Questions to discuss: Why would you stay in a room, and why not? What does the pattern do to the room? How do you think a pattern can change the impression/character of a space? How emerges pattern effect? How is the pattern perceived in the spatiality? Student works with unpleasant pattern projecting in scale 1:1 to understand different outcomes in diverse expressions. The Swedish School of Textiles Pattern designers: Anna Helgesson and Saga Nilsson. Photo: Tonje K Johnstone. Evaluation of the experiments To seek answers to the research question the first goal was both to arrange workshops, and introduce the Pattern Lab for the textile design students. Several lessons were made during these first experiments. WS no 1: The students started to work with great energy and lots of questions. Guidelines in projecting were given, also to pattern scaling. The workshop gave responses and discussions to pattern and scale problems. Comments in selection from the students were as following: - When the pattern becomes larger it fits better in the room. - We know how the pattern looks like and what it contains, but the pattern may have different functions. 3

4 - Pattern works better on a garment than on the wall in a small scale. There is a different feeling in the pattern. - About the yellow field: the smaller the dot, the greater the cloud. The pattern is very large patterned. The smallest scales feel static, but never uninteresting. - A figurative pattern affects the room depending on the scale. There will obviously be two different patterns. Discovered that the pattern can fit into other things than wallpaper, but the design demands a lot of the room. In particularly the students enjoyed and appreciated to work in full- scale, as one of the aims was also to show how easy and uncomplicated projections could be implemented. WS no 2: The students were quite awkward before this experiment. They didn t know where to start and had no ideas on how to proceed. I suggested inputs like blurriness; sharpness, combining two patterns etc. and they finally started to work. The workshop gave after all reactions and discussions to patterns and pleasantness/unpleasantness. Comments in selection from the students were as following: - Shape and contrast of the pattern is perceived as pleasant. - It s a challenge to make the room have an uncomfortable feeling. - Colour is important for expression. The blue felt most harmoniously in spite of the colour combination and the king's face. - Calm patterns are much about colour and motif, colour matters less. - As long as you see what the pattern represent, it s perceived harmonious. If the motif is very small the content gets lost in a way. Reflections that were made after the experiments include the time aspect, the fact that the students used current patterns and were slightly unprepared. Nevertheless; the students were enthusiastic by working with patterns in full- scale, in relative or proportionate size. They expressed that this kind of exercises were awaited and they are looking forward to this future research results. Even though involving students gave a lot to the experiments, next phase will be implemented with investigations without their participation. Conclusion is that there is a need of tools and methods around pattern design and scale work and how to relate to this. Discussion The investigation is to find out how the designer gets a better understanding of scale and size in designing textile patterns, and what kind of functions and characteristics different patterns have in spatial contexts. Further planning on exploring the pattern and scale problems would be to implement design examples, stated as follows: Systematically testing with both geometric and organic patterns: - Use the same pattern and the same scale on various applications, such as a shirt, a wallpaper and upholstery fabric for furniture. Documented together with a scale reference by photos. - Use the same pattern in five different scales on the same application, for instance a shirt. Digital printing the five scales on fabric, make five real pieces. - Trompe l oeil, illusion. Like in the Theatre; how the set designer work with perspective in a short distance. - Develop the unpleasant pattern theme; make designs on my own with e.g. optical effects. - Try to define my approach, how I understand the great potential in patterns. The strategy is to go further with these projects without involving students to any extent. The design examples are meant to be investigations in search for a deeper understanding of textile patterns as a base for the development of textile design. 4

5 References: Dee, C. (2001). Form and Fabric in Landscape Architecture: a visual introduction. New York: Spoon Press. Josephine Steed, Frances Stevenson (2012). Basics Textile Design 01: Sourcing Ideas: Researching Colour, Surface, Structure, Texture and Pattern. London: Bloomsbury. Francis D.K. Ching, (2007). Architecture: form, space & order. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 5