introduction to fabric construction Guide: Aditi Ranjan and Aratrik Devvarman Shradha Chaudhary P.G Textile Design 2010-2012 National Institute of Design
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about the course The objective of this course was to develop a sensitivity to fabric design. The three week course helped imbibe an understanding of relationships between material, structure, form, function and meaning with respect to constructing textile surfaces.
contents Course Brief
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Narrative
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Palette - Material - Color
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Hands-on exploration - Rhythm - Composition - Textue
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Textile interpretation - Exploring hand woven rug techniques - Developing coordinates
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Coordinated collection of rugs
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Developing compositions
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course brief - Conducting a field-study and mapping the culture of Ahmedbad to develop a non-linear narrative. - Reflecting on the narrative to synthesize a concept leading to the development of a design methodology.
Opposite: Saurashtrian basket makers have lived in the heart of the walled city for generations
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- Following an open-ended approach for exploring constructions using materials, and interpreting the concept for textile applications. - Exploring fabric constructions in synthesis with basic design fundamentals of texture, rhythm and composition. 9
narrative Ahmedabad, a city in western India, has a hot semi-arid climate. Summers here are very dry with temperatures soaring above 45 0C . In Amdavadi homes, screens made of khus and bamboo, and in built ventilators are used to prevent heat and allow ventilation. Stone jalis, used for the same purpose are an architectural feature in the city. It was observed that vetiver screens are widely used. These screens are designed to block harsh light, while allowing breeze to pass through. When dampened, the roots release an earthy fragrance and cool the passing breeze. 10
Informed by the texture and characteristics of the vetiver root, an organic material and color palette was developed. The making of vetiver and bamboo screens was studied to understand the hand crafted technique of twinning. Concepts derived from the attributes of natural, organic, raw and pure were explored and interpreted into fabric textures intended for floor coverings.
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izkd`frd (pra-kre-tik) natural, organic, raw, pure
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material palette
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color palette
Vetiver
Cane sticks
Wood shaving
Water hysenth
Saw dust
Soft cane
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hands-on exploration Semi-rigid and rigid elements as weft
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exploring rhythm with soft yarn On loom explorations - warp and weft twinning techniques, with cotton warp and jute weft
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rhythm Jute, a material with textural qualities close to the reference, vetiver, was chosen for exploring the basic design principle of rhythm. Rhythm is mellifluous, like music. Music, composed over a span of time has a linear character, as time is chronological. In textiles, rhythm is a linear composition in of a space. Textile materials, like yarn, lend themselves to be expressed rhythmically, as striations – hence the popularity of striped textiles. In these explorations, several lines of jute were pasted on cardboard in an attempt to create a sinuous quality of line and gaps between foreground and background were controlled to create a wave-like rhythm.
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composition Taking reference from the act of combing hair, sinuous and gentle curves were translated using the linear property of jute yarn. The calm waves of jute evoke the feeling of fingers caressing through sand. The play of depth and negative spaces by the jute yarn and the ground added properties to be further explored onto textiles.
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texture The concept of organic and natural was interpreted by use of material in a manner that expressed their characteristics best. Saw dust, was scattered on a ground, as they would be seen on a workshop floor and clay was moulded and organized, as the material lent itself to being shaped by hand.
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texture The visual translation of texture explorations, were developed on fabric using technique of needle punching. By manipulating the densities of stitches a more literal interpretation was explored.
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Following an open-ended approach, the product range was decided based on the features of paper explorations. Hand woven rug techniques were then explored to evoke the organic and earthy qualities of the chosen materials. The natural, raw and pure expressions were studied and interpreted in this process.
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To make a collection of hand-woven rugs, learning woven surface techniques was essential. On studying weft-face structures, yarns were manipulated to understand relationship between form and ground. Materials were used to explore tonal values, depth, tactility and patterning.
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Opposite and below: Techniques of soumak and looping were explored to translate composition patterns
An abstract expression was achieved by enlarging the patterns, which made it simple to interpret through hand-woven rug techniques.
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structure
On exploring weft-face techniques, it was found that the sawdust exploration could be best translated using the back cloth structure. The visual scattered effect in the sawdust exploration could be achieved by weaving a thinner width of light chindi (waste fabric) on face and a thicker width of dark chindi strips on the back. This technique allowed for the frayed edges of the back to emerge subtly on the face.
Face
Back
Opposite: Explorations of weft-face rug techniques Below: Exploration of back cloth
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The structure provided scope for exploring stripes on one side and texture on the other, creating a reversible rug.
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Face
Back
Face
Back
Face
Back
Face
Back
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Face
Back
Face
Back
Textured rug, with alternate weft twill weave
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Developing coordinates become essential for a wholesome collection, one which is informed by honest use of materials.
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Cotton cord woven in plain weave
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Sisal
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Cotton jute
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Cotton cord
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Yarn spun from chindi
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Soft sisal
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Coir
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Kora grass
Hand spun wool
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Acrylic
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Kachchi wool
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Synthetic raisham
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Industrial synthetic fiber material
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Kora grass was identified as one of the material. By bringing together kora grass and chindi, a new direction for mats was explored.
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collection of rugs
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Developing compositions for the selected pattern. Width to length ratio taken as 2:3
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Developing rhythm compositions for the selected stripes. Width to length ratio taken as 1:2 for runners.
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