An Investigation of Craft Practice in the Design of Electronic Textiles (E-Textiles) for Embodied Interaction

This research aims to establish craft practice as an approach to investigating materials and processes that could benefit e-textile design and development. It explores how ‘value’ can arise through innovative material combinations facilitated through collaborative partnerships, dialogue and joint construction. Findings from the portfolio of practical projects suggest that the distinct material qualities that comprise e-textiles have different roles in contributing to multisensory experiences.

The convergence of computation, electronics, craft and design is identified as a field of creative practice in the contextual review. The tangible nature of e-textiles facilitates embodied forms of interaction to prompt actions through materials and activate our sensory awareness. Building on the work of Dourish, the research examines embodiment, meaning creation and sense perception for comprehending the nature of experience. It discusses commentators such as McCarthy and Wright to recommend expressions of felt human life as a vehicle for enhanced relations with technology.

The methodology generates knowledge through individual and collaborative creative action and adopts craft methods and processes to frame the practice portfolio. Pragmatism influences craft methods to recognise ‘thinking-through-making’ as a means of discovery that can support the ongoing negotiation between intention, action and reflection. The practice portfolio is used as a method of collecting in-depth practical evidence to generate knowledge undertaken through creative engagement.

The research contributes a framework with a series of recommendations to advocate a materially led approach to practice interwoven with concerns that engage collaborative, sensorial and aesthetic interaction. Analysis of the findings promotes qualitative outcomes including personalisation, multisensory engagement, and social value, indicating that applications of the framework can support more enriching design contexts that engage technology.