SURPRISING TEXTILES, DESIGN & ART - exhibitions international

IntroductIon IntroductIonE
research, new possibilities. I would add that by
putting the focus on breaking down barriers,
Futurotextiles effectively contributes to re-mobilising
textile students.
Tennis rackets, motorcycle helmets and car
doors are also part of Futurotextiles!
Yes, they are all made out of composite materials,
a booming sector that is still little known to the
general public. It’s a combination of plastic resin
and a textile weave. Today, composite materials
can be found everywhere: in our phones, airplane
floors, etc. Its durability, resistance and workability
are tremendous assets. It contains glass fibres
and carbon fibres as well as vegetable fibres, like
flax, which is undergoing a revival and is particularly
well adapted.
If one was to focus on a single “thread” where
innovation is concerned?
Innovation is often linked to current events and
needs. As environmental issues are paramount
now, we have seen the emergence of many textiles
that emphasise ecological and energy-saving
properties.
However, generally speaking, ultra light is particularly
well represented in this new Futurotextiles:
work based on air, evanescent fabrics,
lightweight materials... Lightness is back in
fashion and preferred for comfort. It is frequently
also very pleasing to the eye.
The fabric of the future?
All of these textile innovations are redefining the
link between the body, technology and the environment,
which will come to interact increasingly.
It’s both exciting and disturbing. In other
words, there will be plenty to tickle our imaginations
and revolutionise our daily lives, and maybe
even lead to new editions of Futurotextiles...
●
Caroline David, commissaire
Futurotextiles 2008
À droite:
Clouds, clouds
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