Futurescan: mapping the territory

Past Future

Studying the past can be a thrilling journey enabling designers to understand continuous cultural change. By analyzing past sociological influences designers will gain important insights into contemporary design issues.

For 21st century textile design students it can be challenging to connect to past issues and utilize historical references for their own inspiration. In my observation textile education still puts emphasis on studying the formalistic aesthetics of a period, rather than the underlying socio-cultural developments.

The following article portrays a museum-based student project and debates the importance of incorporating user-focused research into the course curriculum.