Textile Research Group
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Membership: Prof. Terence Kavanagh, Kerry Walton, Jan Shenton, Jan Bowman, Tina Frank, Pennie Alfrey, Graham Lee, Anne Acosta, Matthew Broughton, Lauren Moriarty, Emma Wood, Sally Yates, Janette Matthews, Zara Pickett, Ria Hill
Leader: Faith Kane
The Textile Research Group is committed to promoting and supporting excellence through research in textiles art and design.
Our aims are concerned with understanding and supporting contemporary textiles practice alongside traditional skills: encouraging dialogue and collaboration between these contemporary and traditional practices, the industrial sector, and other design disciplines.
The commitment to excellence in teaching, supporting the development of informed and commercially relevant practitioners to subsequently enable students to achieve high levels of knowledge, understanding, skills and competencies.
Contributing to knowledge through high levels of practice in a range of textile disciplines, using traditional and contemporary processes.
Exploring the application of new technologies and textiles processes to investigate the potential for developing innovative materials in terms of aesthetics and/or performance.
DUCK is an open access peer reviewed online journal for research in textiles and textile design.
TRIP : An international symposium exploring the role and relevance of traditional hand skills in contemporary textiles, and the value and status of craft process.
Technology such as digital embroidery, print and jacquard, laser and rapid prototyping are valuable assets in textile manufacturing but can be limiting and may restrict or exclude creative spontaneity and innovation in the design process, development, and production. This may lead to a more superficial approach to the origination of the designs and artefacts, inhibiting conceptual content and promoting mechanical and uniform characteristics where irregularity and subtle variety are less evident in the final textile outcomes. In contrast to this, in relation to traditional processes, human inconsistencies and even error could be promoted as positive qualities, leading to innovation through experimentation and may also embed a desirable degree of character into the textiles. The unexpected can contribute a visual and conceptual depth that is exciting and potentially unique. Within this context the hand-made has acquired a new value and respect in recent years.
Through a series of illustrated presentations and panel discussions by leading artists, designers, researchers and technologists, the symposium will seek to explore and define the role of hand skills and the value of process in contemporary textiles.