Associate Researchers

MA Textile Futures Alumni have become Assocaite Researchers within the Textile Futures Reseach Group (TFRG).

TFRG encourages work in the field of textiles research through a number of initiatives including public forums to develop and debate issues confronting the future of textiles and comprises of researchers from Chelsea College of Arts and Design, Central Saint Martins College of Arts and design, and the London College of Fashion

The remit of the Centre will be to undertake a clearly focused range of textile related research that facilitates technology translation and convergence, improving the interface between science and design, the exploration of sustainability, the expansion of the textile product applications for, and the redefinition of cultural and aesthetic norms.

Using a variety of research methods and partnerships it will bring together staff working in different colleges of this University, other national and international academic, research and cultural institutions, industry and commerce. It will build on staff and student work in the areas of textiles, product, fashion, environment, architecture, medicine/wellbeing as well as history and theory. The research issues will feed back into current and future graduate and postgraduate programmes and through its activities and outputs (products, publications, patents, conferences etc) it will also provide a creative profile that constructively counterbalances the proliferation of technology driven textile research.

Weblink:

• http://www.tfrg.org.uk/

Kerri Wallace

Kerri is a textile designer who graduated from MA Textile Futures in 2007. She is currently challenging the potential of wearable display technologies in textile design. She aims to further develop 'Motion Response sportswear', revolutionising fitness apparel, designing seamlessly responsive textiles and producing body & motion sensitive wearable displays.

She uses correlations between heart rate and body temperature as a trigger for change and form of visual monitoring, creating evolutional interactive textiles inspired metamorphosis, mutations, biomimetics and mimicry, that characteristically mimic both animal and human species. ‘Biomimetics' for example is a science that looks to nature to solve human problems by imitating nature's greatest ideas and applying these concepts to technology and design. Her project is supported by the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Kerri was a 2006-7 award holder.

Kerri has also worked as a freelance designer for Line Consultants and The Collection design studio. Her skills include silk-screen and digital print design, constructed textiles, fine art and communication design.

Kerri Wallace

Kathy Schicker

Kathy Schicker is a textile designer who graduated from MA Textile Futures in 2008 and is currently working in partnership with scientists to develop photonic crystal fibre textiles that have unique properties and offer new methods of integrating functioning smart fibres into materials. Resulting textile fashion, interiors and interactive design, will be responsive, smart and poetic.

Kathy’s MA project 'Woven Light', enabled the development of smart woven textiles that emitted, reflected or reacted to light, culminating in a collection of ground-breaking woven textiles for interiors which react to sunlight.

Kathy's work has been exhibited internationally. Site specific commissions include work for GlaxoSmithKline^? and Bridlington Hospital through arts and health artist residencies.

Kathy Schicker

-- KathySchicker - 10 Feb 2009