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Woven Light: Swedish School of Textiles at Greenhouse

02.20.14 | By
Woven Light: Swedish School of Textiles at Greenhouse

The Swedish School of Textiles had created a darkened room on their stand at the Stockholm Furniture Fair’s Greenhouse, into which I wandered with some trepidation. I was immediately rewarded with something as intriguing as a Victorian freak show, but infinitely more beautiful, inspired by a brief to explore new light technologies in textiles. One of my favorite pieces was Malin Bobeck’s Droplet.

Smart Textiles Ellinor

Ellinor Eliasson’s contribution to the show was entitled Shimiring Snow. She said, “The objective was to explore the expression of snow and its characteristics by combining light and weave.”

Smart Texiles Fridar

Frida Simonsson said, “I have examined how to create different characters through the fabric. The focus for me has been to portray fur by combining unexpected materials and light.”

Smart Texiles Joanna

Another one of my favorites, Joanna Vikström’s Aquatic integrates light, water, and fabric, which she said “feels like an unexplored area with many possibilities.” Aquatic was inspired by bioluminescence – organisms that produce their own light, which she tries to recreate in her fabric design.

Smart Textiles Malin Bobeck Flow

Malin Bobeck’s second contribution, Flow, was inspired by the interaction of light and water. She said, “The goal was to make a fabric with multiple dimensions, by programming the lights to get a movement in the fabric even though it is motionless.”

Smart Textiles Therese Amus Gidlof Layers of time

And finally Layers of Time by Therese Amus Gidlöf: “I have explored how time and light interact in nature. This I have since transferred to a fabric in which some parties may download and gradually emit light.”

It’s no wonder their slogan is “We are the Swedish School of Textiles. Nothing is impossible!”

Katie Treggiden is a purpose-driven journalist, author and, podcaster championing a circular approach to design – because Planet Earth needs better stories. She is also the founder and director of Making Design Circular, a program and membership community for designer-makers who want to join the circular economy. With 20 years' experience in the creative industries, she regularly contributes to publications such as The Guardian, Crafts Magazine and Monocle24 – as well as being Editor at Large for Design Milk. She is currently exploring the question ‘can craft save the world?’ through an emerging body of work that includes her fifth book, Wasted: When Trash Becomes Treasure (Ludion, 2020), and a podcast, Circular with Katie Treggiden.