Abstract:

The 21st century has seen the textiles industry and academy face the challenge of smart textiles. 

There is a popular view that describes smartness in textiles as a synonym for responsive behaviour. This perception however is challenged by the idea that all natural textile materials change in reaction to their environment. A question therefore remains as to what responsive behaviour constitutes as smart behaviour. In other words, when does the responsive turn into smart?

Away from the textile community, it is widely perceived that no one single material could ever be considered smart – only groups of materials. And this implies that the ways in which we assemble materials into structures could potentially play a key role in the creation of genuinely smart textiles. In this case, smart behaviour will be facilitated through new structure potentials and not solely due to the performance within its component/s. However, the role of smart textile structures have only thus far been limitedly explored. 



The textile industry heavily relies on weaving as a fundamental construction methodology for cloths. Weaving as an action is determined by the specifications of the machines, and these date centuries back. It is interesting to see that Greek philosophers like Plato used weaving to describe ‘techne’ as one of two forms of knowledge. Weaving therefore, is not only one of the oldest methods for making, but also appears to be one of the oldest methods for leaning.

More recently there has been a dramatic increase in the development of new technologies and textile components. This as a result has led to a gap that still persists between cutting edge technologies, advanced material science and what could only be described as ancient textile construction methodologies. How can we therefore use weaving as a structuring method for smart textiles? What role can weaving therefore play in the creation of smart textile structures, and more importantly – from a pedagogic perspective – where does it leave us as teachers?

This session will outline the issues concerning smart textiles. It will portray the weaver as a behaviourist learner and will introduce the formation of a new experimental learning space through a plantation of a rhizomatic strategy within a behaviourist discipline. The session will consequently discuss how such seemingly two incommensurable approaches to learning - behaviorism and rhizomatism - may come together and work alongside one another through a new agonistic and interdisciplinary space to allow the development of innovative textile structures.

This session will appeal to textiles designers, makers, teachers and researchers from all creative disciplines. It will also appeal to those interested in pedagogic frameworks and research into academic structures and delivery of programs.

Keywords:

Weaving, smart textiles, behaviorism, rhizomatism, pedagogy, learning strategy, experimental workshop, construction methods.