Light as a Material of E-Textile Composites
Barbro Scholz, Berit Greinke · 2021
This paper presents initial material studies of the project Personal Wearable Lightspace. The aim of the described work is to explore how light can be considered as an inherent property of a composite material, consisting of textiles, electronics, and light. The properties of interactive materials are diverse, combining expression in inactive states with changing appearance during active phases. A series of small design explorations into e-textile composites has been done, with the aim to understand better the characteristics we achieve by varying the construction of their components. We present a series of material studies and designs for composites. In the discussion, characteristics and material choices are compared. Finally, the conclusion gives an overview on design parameters for e-textile composites regarding the function and aesthetics, including the textileness of its interaction design or the involvement of bodily data to create a somaesthetic experience.