Unfolding circular techno-aesthetics: An exploration of shape-change through Woollen Woven Textile-form

Abstract

Textiles are unimaginable out of our lives - from the moment a human is born until existence stops - textiles are touched by wearing, seeing and feeling them. Where it once was fundamental for survival, today, the textile industry has grown towards a system that prioritises speed, efficiency and uniformity (Goldsworthy & Politowicz, 2018) while largely neglecting the impact of waste, mass production and material extraction. The industry designed a system that prioritises the desires of form, function, aesthetics and cost above the environment.

A design process with a systemic lens acknowledges waste as an essential element in the system, enabling an execution providing for a circular economy.

The exploration consists of technological, experiential and aesthetical research of woollen Woven Textile-form in which the shape-changing properties of wool fibres make them morphic Textile-forms. The potential for a circular economy, using biodegradable, recyclable, mono-material widens the scope towards multimorphic Textile-form (McQuillan & Karana, 2022).

This research aimed to unfold techno-aesthetics emerging from material expressions through woollen woven Textile-form exploration in a circular economy. Experiential Characterisation (Camere & Karana, 2018) unfolds the material experiences of the created samples, identifying a new aesthetic formed by materiality.

Techno-aesthetics (Dalmasso, 2019) questions the origin and nature of aesthetical values concerning technology, demonstrating the necessary value change of perception and expectations of the typical textiles and textile-based products and potentially beyond when a sustainable design outcome is a goal.

All together, this should make us seriously question the appropriate perception and expectations of typical textiles and textile-based products and potentially beyond when a sustainable design outcome is a goal. Woollen Woven Textile-form and Morphic Textile-Form methods, together, may create a new understanding of materiality to move towards Multimorphic Textile-form. This research suggests embracing material traces induced by exploring methods such as Woollen Woven Textile-form methods to unfold ‘new circular techno–aesthetics’ to create an understanding of materiality and move towards a circular economy.

Embracing ‘circular techno-aesthetics’ through materiality may bring about the needed global fundamental change of value and move towards a circular economy.