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Upcoming Exhibit and Event
Techno Textiles: Inner Space to Outer Space
May 16, 2008 - July 17, 2008
Goldstein Museum Gallery, St. Paul Campus
Opening Party and Panel Discussion:
May 15, 2008, 7-9pm
Panel discussion at 8p.m. with Su Sokolowski of Nike and Mary Carey of Procédés Chénel International
Curators:
Bruce N. Wright, AIA, the Editor of Fabric Architecture, Design Minor Fellow
Karen LaBat, Professor of Clothing Design and Director of the Human Dimensioning© Lab
Click here to download a PDF of the full press release.
The world of specialty textiles has been changing at a rapid pace with new materials, technologies and innovations in production around the world.
Techno Textiles: Inner Space to Outer Space examines many of these innovative materials and how they are being used by leading designers from around the globe. Some of the concepts will feature protective clothing, intelligent buildings that dynamically respond to the environment, luminous wall interiors and interactive digital displays that are part of the furniture upholstery, as well as fabric balloons used to ensure interplanetary probe vehicles land safely on the surface of Mars.
From ferroconcrete to plywood and plastics, new materials have always inspired designers to innovations in design. The past several years have seen a more far-reaching revolution in materials science and development than at any time in the past. Although many of these innovations involve the highest level of material science and manufacturing finesse, a recent surge in interest has favored so-called “naturals” or organic and sustainable sources, such as fabrics made from recycled plastics, corn-based cellulose, organic polymers and other sustainable chemistry.
In her recent book, “Textiles Today,” Chloë Colchester notes that these innovations “involve materials and prototypes that are so new that we can hardly foresee how the familiar functions of textiles will be transformed in the future.”
This exhibition was organized by the Goldstein Museum of Design.
The exhibition and related programs are supported by:
International Fabrics Foundation, Dazian Fabrics LLC, University of MInnesota Summer Cultural Programs, Hayes Enterprises, and the Friends of the Goldstein, the College of Design, and generous individual donors.
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Top photo: The NuMetrex™ Heart Rate Monitoring Sports Bra has tiny electrodes woven into its fabric that can detect heart rate and display the result on a watch. In addition to the bra, Textronics Inc. makes a heart monitoring shirt for men. Photo credit: Textronics Inc.
Bottom photo: Stretched fabric walls, lit from within, enclose a chiropractic clinic in Northeast Minneapolis in this design by LEAD Inc. architects of Minneapolis and Husnes, Norway. Photo credit: Banner Creations/LEAD Inc .
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