Conference Agenda

Designers continuously move between analog and digital spaces in order to assess sensory qualities of materials to build comprehensive references when sourcing and selecting them. Material decision making in contemporary design practice is increasingly collaborative. However, traditionally, subjective assessment of textiles has been studied at the individual level, focusing less on group workshops. This paper analyses two workshops where participants assessed sensory properties of textile materials, one individually, and one in groups, to show: 1. the difference of subjective material collection between individuals or groups. 2. improvements to the subjective assessment process, comparing physical and digital tools. 3. validation of the subjective differences among various material properties, contributing valuable insights for the assessment process in digital environments. This paper contributes references for the implementation of subjective assessments using digital platforms, ultimately improving the user experience for future designer-researcher digital tools.

Craft traditions have motivated recent scholarship and projects by practices and pedagogies with diverse research agendas in digital fabrication. In this work, the technical complexity of a traditional craft is explored through a conceptual lens such as automation, software development, or knowledge encapsulation. Despite the varied research landscape, many of these projects focus on the craft artifact itself and disengage from the broader ecologies in which it is traditionally creat-ed. In this paper, we establish a positioning framework for craft-based digital work and introduce new terminology to define its theoretical boundaries and to disambiguate the increasingly crowded space of “digital crafts.” We present and apply our framework to an architectural scale project based on bobbin lace that demonstrates an alternative to the artifact-centered approach to using tradition-al crafts in contemporary digital practices.

The craft heritage of Kerala is situated in the usage of natural materials such as banana fiber. Due to the abundant availability of banana plants in Kerala, local craftspeople use the fibers to make products such as baskets, bags, and coasters. However, the number of banana fiber craft persons is acutely declining, posing a threat to this heritage and crafting knowledge. The customary knowledge transfer method, of working in close proximity with the master craftsperson for a significant period, has become impractical and limited now. Thus, we attempt to decode this crafting knowledge using a shape grammar, as a step towards its preservation, transmission, and design development. The methodology involved gaining insights through contextual inquiry and artifact analysis. The resultant shape grammar presents the material vocabulary, the rules for creating patterned units, as well as the function corresponding to different configurations of the units.

This study is part of an ongoing project in the domain of craft and technology called Anuvad. This paper discusses the value and challenges of collaborating with traditional indigenous artisans as co-designers and technical collaborators. After establishing a premise, this paper discusses the findings of a study conducted in person with the artisans in a remote village in India called Bhujodi. This paper discusses the power of creating interactive artifacts through craft by closely collaborating with artisans. The outcome is an interactive textile art frame that works as a music synthesizer. Through this study, we tried to develop experimental e-textile artifacts by collaborating with seemingly unrepresented communities. These artifacts were showcased at two large-scale events, and audience responses were noted. We discuss the context, the process, and eventually, the impact of such collaboration as a successful case study. Here, 'human' relates to a product or technology with emotive, affective properties.

: This paper explores the integration of parametric design principles with knitted pattern designs. The study aims to propose a process of how parametric design can be applied to generate dynamic patterns for manual knitting machine fabrication. Using Grasshopper in Rhino3D as a computational tool to develop knitting patterns, the study investigates the possibilities of creating customizability. The designs are translated from a Grasshopper to a knitting pattern that can be knit on a domestic kitting machine. The study demonstrates the development of a workflow between digital and physical making and design. The use of computational tools offers de-signers greater exploration of a wide range of design possibilities while ultimately using human tacit knowledge and control during the fabrication process. The project demonstrates the blending computational design with manual design development through fabrication. Building the relationships between physical and digital production as a means for new architectural design elements.

Clay 3D printing is a rapidly growing hybrid craft practice in which physical ceramic artifacts are designed and fabricated with digital technologies. In this work, we bring attention to the material element of this hybrid practice by presenting a collection of 3D printable clay materials with tunable shrinkage called clay-dough. Clay-dough materials are made up of varying ratios of stoneware clay to bio-based dough. As we fire these materials in a kiln, the dough burns away, resulting in the remaining clay shrinking dramatically as it chemically transitions into a ceramic. We leverage our ability to control the shrinkage properties of clay-dough materials to design a collection of 3D-printed ceramic artifacts in which the form and size are determined by shrinkage. Through this, we reflect on how human and machine work in correspondence with clay-dough to drive the creation of ceramics; ultimately, calling for material-oriented design approaches in hybrid craft practices.

The mathematics of craft have created rich and diverse material cultures. Through craft, humans have shared a common language of patterns, proportions, and expressions inspired by the complexity of the natural world. We pass this knowledge on through generations, each time making things more complex and techniques more robust. This passing on of generational knowledge is one of the things that creates our individual cultural identities, however many crafts across the world are in decline. By analyzing the structure of crafts computationally, we can create a hybrid approach that lays a foundation for use in the 21st century. This paper uses bobbin lace, a historic technique used to make decorative tex-tiles, to look at the process of using visual scripting and algorithmic modeling, demonstrating how the mathematics of design can contribute to the many skill-based crafts that embody our cultures and histories.