Graduate School directory 2010/11 - Camberwell College of Arts ...

34 Politowicz kay
35
Politowicz kay
ProfeSSor
BiOgraphy Kay Politowicz is Professor of Textile
Design, co­founder and Project Director for the
Textiles Environment Design (TED) research
group at Chelsea, with a direct interest in all
contemporary interpretations of the subject. She
has been instrumental in establishing the post of
Research Fellow and the TED Resource. TED
research has also contributed significantly to the
successful designation of the Textile Futures
Research Centre (TFRC) at the University of the
Arts London (UAL) and to the research activities
of the UK Association of Fashion and Textiles
Courses.
Previously, as Course Director for BA (Hons)
Textile Design at Chelsea, Politowicz has
developed a course known for a high­level of
achievement in specialist material processes and
for an environmental focus to curriculum
developments within the subject. Design contexts
have been introduced for students to see
environmental problems as opportunities for
innovative design thinking in processes,
products and systems. This experience has led
to her current role, in which she devise
strategies to connect the taught curriculum at
BA and MA level, to opportunities for
partcipiation in practice based research projects.
Professor Politowicz has been instrumental in
hosting Texprint: First View exhibition annually
at Chelsea since 2005. In collaboration with
Texprint in 2008, Chelsea hosted a seminar on
sustainability involving speakers and delegates
from industry and education. In collaboration
with Texprint in 2010, Kay has made Chelsea the
venue for a platform debate, involving speakers
and an audience from industry and education,
designed to challenge assumptions concerning
sustainability in design education.
reSearCh Statement In leading the TED
research group, I have encouraged staff, students
and graduate designers to collaborate in the development
of projects and events which propose
to explore the potential for fabrics to change or
define an environment. In my research I explore
fabrics which work from principles inherent
in life­cycle analysis of a product for interior and
exterior spaces.
Developments include the ability of fabrics to
carry light technologies as well as colour and
pattern, often transferring low/medium­
technologies from other industries into textile
design and manufacture. Experiments include
the use of long­life, synthetic fabrics with natural
dyes and mechanical patterning to produce
prototypes for installation. The use of industrially
produced ‘multiples’ and ‘flat­pack’ production
has enabled fabrics to be used as temporary and
reusable environments.
In Particle Fabrics exhibition, Milan (2002), part of
Signatures of the Invisible (Sci­Art exhibitions in
four European centres), I explored the potential of
fabric to change and define an environment. In
Artists at Work, Museo del Tessuto Prato, Italy
(2003), and Ever and Again: Rethinking Recycled
Textiles (2007), I proposed the production and reuse
of ‘flat­pack lanterns’ using magnets as
fixings. This ongoing development of products
currently includes the use of electro­luminescent
print paste to produce glowing patterns in
interior spaces.
Current projects also include Creative Connections
(2009–10) a TED collaborative project linking
small craft businesses in India with digital print
production technologies to test new models for
sustainable production. I actively seek and create
kay Politowicz, wardrobe disclosure, market stall and placards installation, 500 × 300 cm, 2010
opportunities to promote and test research
theories concerning sustainability, design and
production in which current students and
graduates work in research teams to investigate
approaches to sustainable design. Examples
of action research include: ‘Critical Collage’
(2010–11), a cross­discipline project within the
CCW Graduate School, designed to compare
subject approaches to the exploration of
waste streams as raw material for making
new work; Chelsea BA and MA textile students
participation in ‘Crosscut’ 2010–11, an international
project funded by the Norwegian
Goverrnment to explore a ‘Grave to Cradle’
use of materials; Collaboration with online
retailer Made.com 2010–11, in which textile
students co­design products with craft producers
in South Africa’; ‘Agendas’ event at Texprint
to engage designers and manufacturers in discussing
the place of sustainability in design
education.
SeleCted OutputS and aChievementS
Selected conference contributionS
2010 ‘electrosmog international festival for Sustainable
mobility’
2009 ‘testing the theories with design’ (co-author rebecca
earley) at Sustainability and enterprise, creating
competitive advantage conference (beijing and
Shanghai), hife funded. in collaboration with the
economist intelligence unit.
2009 ‘Shared Strategies’, at foresight – mapping the
territory conference, liverpool, uk, fashion textiles
association.