Skip to page content...
View Submissions
- Please choose an option:
- Title of Abstract:
Making Craft Competitive: (re)Evolving the Creative Ecosystem (Ref #202)
- Date:
- 26-10-2006 13:10:21
- Status:
-
Accepted
- Rating:
- 8
-
Details:
- The rapid advance of computing technology has brought about an explosion in competition across all industries. Faced with overwhelming choice, consumers are becoming increasingly informed and discerning yet more diverse - people yearn to be treated as individuals. How has the textile industry responded to this new landscape? In confusing this demand for control with a desire for choice, mass-production has actually been escalated by large retailers such as Primark and Zara. This has ultimately led to the emergence of a utilitarian perception of value, with price now the primary consideration. Frictions caused by this growing imbalance of power have further destabilised the textile supply chain ? when will the ?machine? break? As design and manufacture succumb to this cost-cutting regime; what constitutes value in today?s climate? What is the nature of the experience? Has anything really changed?
As a PhD student within the Centre for Advanced Textiles at the Glasgow School of Art; my research explores how web-based interface technologies can be used in conjunction with existing/emerging digital design & production methods, to deliver a sustainable and scalable model for the textile industry which better reflects the changing dynamics of modern society. Through the application of object-oriented programming methodologies found in software & hardware design, the intention is to develop an alternative mode of enterprise which behaves like a computer rather than a machine. By examining the underlying design patterns central to the growth of the Internet, using examples from other industries now embracing the digital revolution (such as music); the primary outcome of my research will be the devlopment of a community-driven ecosystem (web-based software & hardware systems) enabling the design, retail and manufacture of customised textile products through the development of an open-source digital format (similar to the .mp3) which describes their modular structure.
The Internet now represents the pinnacle of human evolution because it is based on the principles of evolution. Whilst my research focuses on the textiles sector (due to the relationship between computer and printer), I am acting on behalf of craft as a whole. Why? Because craft is the ultimate symbol of human evolution, serving as the reference by which we understand ourselves ? both past and present - within the context of the physical world. With multimedia now the craft of the virtual world, this paper will discuss the need for craft to connect with multimedia in order to make sense of our future.
Reviewer Comments: