ATLAS Institute'sÌýUnstable Design Lab, directed byÌýLaura Devendorf, willÌýhostÌýits thirdÌýexperimental weaving residencyÌýthis spring to develop techniques andÌýopen-source resources that support collaboration andÌýinnovation across the fiber arts and engineering communities.ÌýNew this year, the lab will actively work to grow community at the intersection of craft and technology through inviting interested parties toÌý.Ìý
The 2023 resident will work with the Unstable Design Lab and other Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ Boulder researchers to create samples inspired by challenges faced by engineering researchers, including spacesuit design, integration of power harvesting diodes, reusable textile structures for zero-waste manufacturing, andÌýstructures that dynamically fold and unfold to support mechanical structures or soft robotics. The resident will haveÌýaccess to the lab'sÌýTC2 digital jacquard loom; other weaving, spinning and knitting equipment; traditional and novel weaving materials; programming support for some custom software needs; the fabrication facilities available at theÌýATLAS Institute;Ìýmotion-capture and high-end audio equipment in theÌýB2 Center for the Media Art and Performance; and exhibition space to showcase work at the end of the residency.
First and secondÌýresidency
The Unstable Design lab received more thanÌý200 applications in 2019 for itsÌýfirst experimental weaving residency, ultimately selectingÌýSandra Wirtanen. Due toÌýthe pandemic, the residency did not occur in 2020 orÌý2021. TheÌýnext residency began in January 2022 with selected weaverÌý producingÌýinstructional materials related to woven structure and its potential applications to engineering research. Due to unforseen circumstances, Sandry's residency paused in the winter and will resume thisÌýfall.
The large number of applicants for the residency reflects a growing interest in the relationship between textiles and emerging technologies, says Devendorf, who co-founded the initiative withÌýSteven Frost,Ìýfaculty director of the B2 Center for Media, Arts & Performance.Ìý
ThisÌýresidency is supported by a grant from the Center for Craft, Creativity, and Design, a nonprofit organization based in Asheville, NC, dedicated to advancing the understanding of craft by encouraging and supporting research, critical dialogueÌýand professional development.Ìý
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Publications
Laura Devendorf,ÌýSasha De Koninck, andÌýEtta Sandry. 2022. An Introduction to Weave Structure for HCI: A How-to and Reflection on Modes of Exchange. In Designing Interactive Systems Conference (DIS ’22), Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA. 629-642.ÌýÌý(June 13-17, 2022—Virtual Event, Australia)Ìý[Best Pictorial Honorable Mention Award].
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Laura Devendorf, Katya Arquilla, Sandra Wirtanen, Allison Anderson, and Steven Frost. 2020. Craftspeople as Technical Collaborators: Lessons Learned through an Experimental Weaving Residency. InÌýProceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’20). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 1–13. DOI:Ìý(Honolulu, Hawaii (virtual)–April 25-30, 2020)Ìý[Honorable Mention Award].