Textiles: A Global Vision : The textile designer as ‘added value’

The Textile Institute Centenary World Conference: a Global Vision The textile designer as ‘added value’ How does a textile designer working beside other disciplines add to architecture, science and cloth? Textile Designers are often considered the ‘dressing’ to surfaces or the body as opposed to being an integral part of the process. Two projects will be discussed in depth to illustrate the role of the textile designer fundamental in their development.• Tactility Factory a collaboration with architect Ruth Morrow, making hard surfaces soft, each skill being dissected and put back together again producing the frame work to make a tactile hard surface soft, Why do this? What are the benefits? The development of these processes finally arriving at 3 patented technologies and a spin out company would not have been possibly one without the other. • Working with Helen Storey and extreme collaborations the latest multi disciplinary project seeks to identify feasible solutions to the challenges of air borne pollutants in densely populated urban environments.What role does the textile designer play? The development of this joined up role for the textile designer brings many facets to other disciplines while enriching the textile experience locally and globally.