This publication includes a workbook on weave structure as well as a reflection on how HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) researchers might look to craft publications for inspiration when communicating the contribution of craft-oriented research. The workbook included in this publication is intended for HCI researchers to learn the fundamentals of weave structure in the context of weaving force sensors. The project emerged in collaboration between the lab and Experimental Weaver in Residence Etta Sandry and our shared interests in communicating the technicality and fundamentals of weaving to broad audiences.
You can read the full publication on Issuu, however, you will be able to download when it becomes officially published in June.
Citation:
Laura Devendorf, Sasha De Koninck, Etta Sandry. An Introduction to Weave Structure for HCI: A How-to and Reflection on Modes of Exchange. Forthcoming at DIS 2022.
Full Publication and Talk:
Coming in June 2022
Notes:
We will be reforming this activity book into an interactive format that’s linked with AdaCAD. Stay posted.
Experimental Weaving Residency Spring 2022 : Consider Everything an Experiment
Part of the ATLAS Institute at the University of Colorado Boulder, the Unstable Design Lab is hosting its second experimental weaving residency with the goal of developing new techniques and open-source resources that can co-evolve fiber arts and engineering practice. The chosen resident will work with the Unstable Design Lab, as well as researchers from the University of Colorado, to create a series of samples inspired by challenges currently faced by engineering researchers. For example, shape weaving techniques for creating form-fitting and/or compression garments for counter-pressure spacesuits, integration of power harvesting diodes, compostable or easily reusable textile structures for zero-waste manufacturing, or structures that dynamically fold and unfold to support mechanical structures or soft robotics (to name a few, but not all, possible spaces for experimentation). Applicants should be open-minded, curious, and above all deeply knowledgeable about woven structures and their behaviors. No knowledge of computer science, electronics, or engineering is required for participation.
Timeline
Application Deadline
Sept 15, 2021
Notification to Selected Applicant
November 1, 2021
Residency Dates
12 weeks between Jan 15-May 15
Resources
The resources available to the resident include a desk in the Unstable Design Lab, priority access to a TC2 digital jacquard loom (3W warped at 60 ends per inch), access to other weaving, spinning and knitting equipment in the lab, access to traditional and novel weaving materials, programming support for some custom software needs, access to the fabrication facilities at the ATLAS Institute, access to motion-capture and high-end audio equipment in the B2 Center for the Media Art and Performance, and an exhibition space to showcase work at the end of the residency (also at the B2). While we can provide instructions for getting started on the TC2, the artist is ultimately responsible for the design and production of their swatches—there is no technician devoted to realizing the work on the equipment.
Expectations
The resident will be expected to work at least 30 hours per week with the lab members and collaborators evolving concepts that address the artist’s interests as well as the engineering teams’ needs. The selected resident must be willing to share any techniques they develop as open-source resources to both the collaborators and public more broadly, including producing necessary documentation for others to replicate their techniques. To facilitate the exploration of projects of mutual interest, the organizers will schedule meetings with various researchers during the first week of the residency to better understand their needs and challenges when it comes to integrating textile structures into their research. The resident, then, will be able to select the challenges that most interest them to further explore, sharing their findings with the research teams as they develop.
Timing, Housing, Stipend
Stipend*
$9520 USD
Airfare Reimbursement
$450 USD
Materials**
$500 USD
* the stipend will be taxed by the US government and this may have significant impact for international applicants ** materials budget does not go directly to artist, but is to be spent by the lab during the residency on supplies determined by the artist.
The residency scheduling is flexible but should total 12 weeks should take place between January and May 2022 in Boulder, Colorado. The resident will receive $9520 as a stipend, $450 towards airfare to and from Boulder, and a materials budget of $500 to be spend during the residency. The artist will be responsible for locating housing and travel to and from Boulder, Colorado. International applicants are welcome to apply but should note that the stipend will be lower due to taxes taken by the US government on international workers.
We welcome international applications. If you are of non-US citizenship, please make note that the stipend will be particularly affected by US taxes on international workers as well as some fees for VISA processing in your country of citizenship. As we reach the later stages of the application process, we may use this information to provide you with more specifics on the taxes you may incur as well as verify with the host university that you would be eligible to work within the institution. We can provide flexibility in the residency dates to support applicants who may be facing additional challenges obtaining a VISA and/or traveling to the US due to current current restrictions given COVID. For more information on the particular program through which we host residents, visit: https://www.colorado.edu/isss/cu-departments/hiringhosting-international-students-scholars/international-scholars-j-h-e-pr/j-1-3
Organizers
Laura Devendorf (she/her), Director of the Unstable Design Lab Assistant Professor, ATLAS Institute & Dept. of Information Science website
Steven Frost Faculty Director of the B2 Center for Media Arts & Performance website
Allison Anderson Assistant Professor, Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences website
Selection Committee
The selection committee and organizers will work together will determine the finalists. The organizers will ultimately select the chosen resident.
Kristina Andersen, Future Everyday, Eindhoven University of Technology website
Matt Bethancourt, Director, Whaaat!? Lab for Games and Experimental Interactions, website
Sarah Rosalena Brady, Assistant Professor of Computational Craft at UCSB, website
Annet Couwenberg, Fiber and Material Studies, MICA, website
Annapurna Mamidipudi, Scholar and Craft Researcher, website
As a collaborator in the Unstable Design Lab you will be working among artists and researchers across many domains of research. You would share immediate lab space with the students and faculty listed on the people page. Additionally, we will be working closely with Ella Schauss (a PhD student working with Prof. Anderson) and Michael Rivera (who will be a post-doctoral researcher at the lab during Spring 2022).
Application
To apply for the residency, please fill out the form below. Our selection criteria will be determined by your approach to experimentation, aesthetic of your work, and the demonstration of techniques that you employ in the work so please use the images and statements to provide details to those ends. Details about how you document and share your work will also help your application.
We have received generous funding form the National Science Foundation to continue and conduct research through the experimental weaving residency for another three years! Due to COVID, we have delayed the start date of this residency to Spring ’22. Stay posted for a call for applications this summer. You can sign up for our newsletter for updates to your inbox (see link in the footer).
We are pleased to announce the creation of an experimental weaving residency to be held during 6-weeks in the summer of 2019 at the Unstable Design Lab thanks to the generous support from theCenter for Craft, Creativity and Design‘s “Material-Based Research Grant.” Fiber artists with an interest or established record in engaging computation in their practice are encouraged to apply.
