Programming materiality
Joanna Maria Berzowska · 2012
XS Labs, founded in 2002, is a design research studio that develops innovative work in the area of electronic textiles and reactive garments. Our work is informed by the technologies and techniques of craft-based practices -- weaving, stitching, embroidery, knitting, beading, or quilting -- and by the exciting possibilities afforded by modern materials with various electro-mechanical properties. This involves the development of enabling technologies, methods, and materials in the form of soft electronic circuits and composite fibers. At the same time, our projects often critique the traditional task-based and utilitarian definitions of functionality in HCI. "We consider the soft, playful, and magical aspects of these materials, so as to better adapt to the contours of the human body and the complexities of human needs and desires. Our approach often engages subtle elements of the absurd, the perverse, and the transgressive. We construct narratives that involve dark humor and romanticism as a way to drive design innovation. These integrative approaches allow us to construct composite textiles with complex functionality and sophisticated behaviors." [2]