Make It

How have innovations in technology impacted artistic production over time?

English Language ArtsSciencesSocial Studies

Advancements in technology have transformed textiles and their production. How have artists adapted?

Introduction

Textiles are part of our everyday lives. A textile is a flexible material made from interlacing fibers that come from either natural (animal, plant, mineral) or synthetic (chemical) sources. Textiles are used in the clothing we wear every day, as well as in linens, furnishings, and other household goods like carpeting, window coverings, and woven bags and baskets. Textiles are also engineered for use in the automotive, medical, and agricultural industries, to name a few.

There is a wide variety of textiles in Mia’s Asian art collection for you to explore. Each piece provides opportunities to learn about textiles through the materials, styles, techniques (weaving, embroidery, dyeing, etc.), and imagery specific to its place and time. Here, we want to focus on woven textiles made on a loom and how advancements in loom technology have led to big changes in textiles and textile production.

Weaving is one of the oldest methods of human production, and its origins date back to 12,000 bce in China and Egypt. Before ancient peoples wove fibers into textiles, they wove brushwood into dwellings. Over time, makers improved their materials and techniques, innovating production from coarse fabrics with simple weaves to finer and more comfortable fabrics with sophisticated weaves.

Looms

A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. Although the precise shape of the loom and its workings may vary, the basic purpose of any loom is the same—to hold the warp (vertical) threads in place under tension while the weft (horizontal) threads are interwoven through them. Loom types, production methods, and design styles vary by region in Asia and throughout the world. The invention of looms allowed for faster production and for making larger textiles with more complex and elaborate designs. For further study, the China National Silk Museum provides information and images about looms and weaving technology from China and many other parts of the world.

It took labor-intensive techniques to achieve the complex patterns and imagery you see in Mia’s textiles. For example, Pictorial hanging illustrating the Feast of Peaches, a tapestry in our collection, is made from silk, which comes from the silkworm—the caterpillar form of the silk moth. To make a tapestry like this one, the designer would have sketched the final image on paper, and that illustration would be laid beneath the vertical warp threads for an artisan to trace the image onto the warp threads with an ink and brush. Once traced, the color threads for each section were selected and woven individually to create the finished tapestry. Imagine how much time it would have taken these artisans, who usually belonged to workshops, to create a single tapestry with such intricate detail and imagery!

Advancements in loom technology have transformed textiles and their production. Looms that were once operated by hand eventually became automated machines, allowing for the mass production of textiles and garments—in greater quantities with a higher level of efficiency and consistency. Today, digital scanners direct the mechanized looms to create images and weave them, too. Weaving, or, more precisely, the Jacquard loom, invented in 1804, is even recognized as having established the foundation for modern computer science and machine programming.

Today, electronic textiles and sewable electronics allow for the integration of electronic and digital components into everyday fabrics, both for aesthetic purposes and to serve performance-enhancing functions in various fields such as athletics, the military, and medicine. What is the role of humans in textile production today, given the technological advancements that have transformed that practice? How are the textile artists of today and tomorrow both similar to and different from the textile artists of the past?

Video: Make It activity: textiles

Arts of Asia: Make It - Textiles

August 16, 2024 | 2:55

Try It!

  • Learn a basic weaving technique with strips of paper! First, prepare the base/template for students’ weaving projects. You can prepare these in advance, or have your students make their own. These paper weaving cutting templates from Babble Dabble Do cut down on prep time and make paper weaving accessible for learners. Print the templates onto your construction paper or card stock and cut along the lines. This will be your base, or warp.

    Next, cut strips of different colors about 8 to 10 inches long and 1 inch wide. Longer strips are better as they can be trimmed later, but be sure they are at least as long as your base paper is wide.

    Let your students select an assortment of colored strips for their weavings. If necessary, provide them with a basic tutorial in the over/under technique, and support any students who are having difficulties. Students can use a glue stick to secure any loose ends to the base before trimming them. Vary your weaving by experimenting with different types of paper such as magazines or wallpaper scraps, different fabrics, or even by cutting up paper that has been first decorated by the students.

    Time: 30 min. or up to 2 class periods

    Materials: Paper in a variety of colors (construction paper or a heavier card stock, but magazines, wallpaper scraps, or even fabric such as felt work well), scissors, glue stick

    Guiding Questions:
    What is a weaving?

    What patterns are used in weaving?

Do It!

  • Take your weaving skills to the next level and make a tapestry on your own DIY loom! You can use a hula hoop or photo frame as your frame, or construct your own from scratch. Work on your own or in groups. The Weaving Loom has several online tutorials: how to make a frame loom; how to warp your frame loom; and how to make a cardboard loom. This resource on looms and weaving by art educator Joy Danila shows how to make looms from paper plates and yarn.

    After you have your looms, try them out! Once you get the hang of it, try to increase the complexity of the patterns and designs you make.

    Time: 1 to 3 class periods

    Materials: Cardboard, wooden photo frame, or even a hula hoop; ruler; pencil; thread or yarn

    Guiding Questions:
    What can we use to make a loom?

    How can we experiment to increase the complexity of our weaving patterns?

Make It Yours!

  • Design Challenge

    Modify a textile or garment with wearable technology that performs a useful function. If you are unfamiliar with e-textiles, check out this basic tutorial. It might be helpful to start this activity with a basic introduction to electricity, conductive materials, and circuits. Follow the design-thinking process below as outlined in this lesson, “What is the connection between design-thinking and art?

    Time: 3 or more class periods

Design-Thinking Process

  1. 1

    Empathize: Look at a selection of textiles from Mia’s Asian art collection. Look closely at their shapes and patterns, identify the materials and techniques used, and consider their purpose or function. Who might have worn or used it? Where did they live and what kind of society did they live in?

  2. 2

    Connect: Ask students to bring in and share textiles they have in their homes—clothing, tea towels, blankets, etc. The textiles can be significant or personally meaningful, or they can be totally mundane, but they should serve a purpose or function. Discuss the different types of textiles, noting their shapes and sizes, fabrics, and their purpose. Also note any designs on the fabric—are they printed onto the fabric or woven in? This is an opportunity to have an informed discussion about the textiles that students bring in, and it can be informed by the conversations had in the Empathize stage.

  3. 3

    Ideate: Individually, or in teams, brainstorm ideas for your electronic textile. What garment or fabric will you use as your base, what purpose or function does it already serve, and how might integrating electronic and digital components improve its look or usefulness? Also consider who you are designing this textile for: Will it be aimed at a wide audience or for a specific individual? You decide! Brainstorm multiple possibilities and consider which option you will choose and why.

    For inspiration, you can look at these resources: Weaving the Future of Textiles with Googles Project Jacquard and Jacquard by Google. 

  4. 4

    Prototype: Once you’ve determined which idea to explore, experiment with your material of choice, and identify the electronic or digital components you will add. What other parts will you need to build your product? How will you integrate the new components into the textile—can you make them nearly undetectable to the user?

    If you are new to e-textiles and sewable electronics, feel free to check out the LilyPad E-Textiles Resource Center for inspiration, and then get started! 

  5. 5

    Test: Share your designs with others. Test the electronic and digital components to see if they work and whether they improve the user experience of the textile as intended. Discuss the results and end with a reflection: “If you were to do this again, what would you do differently, and why?” Solicit constructive feedback from peers; from their perspectives, what worked well, what made this idea compelling, and what could have been improved?