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Threads of Innovation: A Look Back

The Threads of Innovation symposium, held on 2 December, celebrated the results of the research programmes in the TextielLab. Presentations, guided tours, Q&As with artists and the launch of a new open call for applications also kicked off the next research phase.

Designers, design students, artists, researchers, technicians and other professionals from the sector gathered in the TextielMuseum on Monday, 2 December for the sold-out Threads of Innovation symposium. They reflected on four years of research and development (R&D) in the TextielLab, the innovative work that was produced, and what the future might hold.

In-depth research

The plenary session showcased R&D projects that were all supported by a subsidy from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The four-year government scheme, known as the BIS, grants subsidies to select cultural institutions. In the TextielLab, the availability of these funds means that more time can be invested in in-depth research focused on innovation and sustainability. Several speakers underlined what a luxury it is in the textile industry to be able to experiment without tight deadlines or a predetermined outcome. They also noted the benefits of this creative freedom in a unique workshop at the heart of a museum that combines craftsmanship, knowledge and art. Some of the results are shared below.

Photos: Roos Pierson

DRIFT

Since 2021, the TextielLab has been collaborating with DRIFT to develop self-supporting woven structures. A series of experiments resulted in I am Storm, an interactive installation of blades of grass that was featured in the exhibition ‘Is it alive?’. Sarah Michel, DRIFT’s creative lead development, explained how the swaying blades were co-created with the TextielLab and how the back and forth between the designers and experts in the lab was a crucial part of the development process. However, the by-product of this process is perhaps even more interesting for the industry. The samples woven with metal yarn inspired the lab team to continue experimenting – and possibly make textile history as well. As far as we know, the first jacquard-woven fabrics made entirely of metal were produced on the TextielLab’s industrial Dornier loom.

Weaving with metal

In one of the afternoon sessions, product developer Judith Peskens demonstrated how weaving with metal was achieved – first on the semi-industrial TC2 machine and then on the larger computer-controlled Dornier loom with both an aluminium warp and weft. To assess the potential of the fabric from different perspectives, the samples were examined with DRIFT. This potential will be extended even further in the new year with the launch of an open call. Interested designers and artists will be invited to pitch an idea for a new application for the metal warp. The most interesting proposals will compete for participation in a joint research project in the TextielLab.

Photos: Jelle Verheijke 

Fully fashioned knitting

There has also been considerable innovation in the field of knitting. At the end of 2023, the TextielLab established an R&D programme for fully fashioned knitting and invited three very different artists to take part. One of these artists was Danish fashion designer Henrik Vibskov. He had never heard of the TextielLab at the time, but his employees urged him to take part. At the symposium, which he came from Denmark to attend, he said that he struggled for several months to find a direction he was happy with. You wouldn’t guess this from the installation he developed with circular knitting expert Mathilde Vandenbussche for the ’SHAPE’ exhibition. Vibskov assembled the various 3D knitted parts into a fascinating group of humanoid creatures, which vibrate and tinkle gently among the other voluminous body art on display.

Knitted AI art

During a guided tour, exhibition curator Susanne Rüsseler explained the body art and creative process in more detail. She paid particular attention to The Rooom Divider by Marlou Breuls and Symbiotic Skin Metamorphosis by Elmo Mistiaen, the other two artists in the fully fashioned knitting programme. In the Sample Studio next to the lab, Mistiaen and product developer Sarena Huizinga discussed the development of his work. Using AI, Mistiaen generated life-like images that explore human-insect symbiosis. These images had previously only existed virtually, but Huizinga was able to bring them to life on the flat knitting machine. Designer and developer ping-ponged samples back and forth. Mistiaen fed photos of Huizinga’s samples into his AI tool and returned the revised design for a new round of samples. This iterative process enabled fiction to evolve into a tangible design.

Photos: Jelle Verheijke 

Interaction

The project is an excellent example of the innovative power of interaction and exchange. Artists and designers often do not know exactly what the machines and materials can and can’t do. Unhindered by technical limitations, they encourage the product developers to push these boundaries. Conversely, designers are inspired by the product developers’ samples. Both parties consciously step out of their comfort zone to make something they did not know was possible. This process comes with a lot of unknowns, and not everything is a success. Machines get stuck, colours run, fabric shrinks more than it should in the wash, sensors and motors fail. Despite all this, the opportunity for trial and error is invaluable. “I wanted something that I didn’t know how to draw,” Otobong Nkanga said during a presentation she gave with Stef Miero about the development of their latest tapestry. “And I didn’t know how to make it,” Miero added. The spectacular result that emerged from this uncertain beginning is now hanging in MoMA in New York.

Photos: Jelle Verheijke 

Sustainability

A recurring theme during the event was sustainability. Many participants wanted to know whether sustainability is a concern for a lab that could positively influence the industry. Material advisor Lise Brunt confirmed that sustainability is a high priority and provided an update on the use of sustainable yarns. As standard, the loom has a recycled fire-retardant warp that complies with EU regulations, some product developers are already sampling digitally, and sustainable yarns are a requirement of the R&D programme. For instance, Mistiaen used an innovative microbe yarn. Meanwhile, a Belgian company that makes tennis racket strings produced a recycled PET yarn specially for the transparent skin of Vibskov’s creatures.

Photos: Jelle Verheijke 

Dressing up

There was too much on the programme to be able to see everything. Fortunately, the results of the Advanced Textile Program (ATP) will be exhibited again next spring. On request, you can also find out more about the museum’s on-demand depot and the sample books in the library. The symposium ended with a performance by Zwermers. During a magical dressing-up session lasting 45 minutes, the Tilburg-based performance company demonstrated the role textiles play in our identity and how that identity is layered and always shifting. With the question ‘who is hanging in my wardrobe?’ as their starting point, the performers worked their way through an impressive pile of clothes as if in a trance. It was the perfect demonstration of how closely textiles are interwoven with our daily lives.

Text: Willemijn de Jonge

Photos: Jelle Verheijke 

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