Digital Design – Craft Fabrication

Recognising the increasing uptake of domestic craft activities seen during the COVID pandemic lockdowns, and the need driven by climate change to reconsider the materials we use and our relationships to the objects we surround ourselves with, this project proposes a series of interior objects to be crafted in and for the domestic environment, using waste material and other environmentally responsible materials.

Craft within two contrasting areas of Scotland (Glasgow and Argyll) formed the basis for the project research, with interviews and observation of craft practitioners working in these areas conducted. Both analogue and digital methods were employed to process, manipulate and experiment with the data collected, and through this, new interior objects of domestic craft have been proposed. The forms of the proposed objects speak directly of the processes through which they have developed, highlighting the wider environmental connections of the objects.

Hand crafting objects for your own domestic environment results in objects valued on many levels. From valuing simply for the enjoyment of making or the ability to create something useful, to valuing these crafted objects’ ability to store memories or to express self-identity through their creation and display. In creating interior objects which are highly valued, their future responsible use is secured.

Mycelium Window Shutters

Mycelium window shutter concept developed from 'Planing in Glasgow' soundscape (below) created following interview and recording of furniture maker Martin Campbell working in his Glasgow workshop. Mycelium proposed to be grown on wood shavings from furniture making.

Mycelium Window Shutters: Planing in Glasgow Soundscape

Soundscape created of furniture maker Martin Campbell planing oak and the surrounding Glasgow environment.

Mycelium Window Shutters: Mycelium Tiles

Tile forms created from extracted information from Planing in Glasgow soundscape. The information was extracted and translated into 3D forms using scripts written using Grasshopper.

Woven Willow Screen

The form and weaving pattern of the woven willow screen was taken from extracted information from the 'Basket Making in Argyll' soundscape created of basket maker Jane Allan working in rural Argyll.

Woven Willow Screen: Basket Making in Argyll Soundscape

A soundscape of basket maker Jane Allan weaving baskets in rural Argyll.

Patchwork

Patchwork created using information extracted from the 'Sewing' soundscape created from sounds of sewing in a domestic environment.

Patchwork: Sewing Soundscape

A soundscape of sewing in the domestic environment.

Stair Runner

A woven stair runner designed using information extracted from observations of a weaver working in Argyll and from the 'Weaving Near Kilmartin' soundscape created of this weaver and their surrounding environment. The colours used were extracted from an image of threads in their studio.

Stair Runner: Weaving near Kilmartin Soundscape

A soundscape created from recorded sounds of weaver Louise Oppenheimer working and the surrounding environment in Argyll.

Stair Runner: Weaving soundscape and gesture images

Spectral frequency image and composite weaving gesture image. Scripting in Grasshopper was used to extract information from these to create weaving patterns.

Stair Runner: Pattern

Weaving fabrication plan output from Grasshopper script.