this weeks knits

I think that the piece with the bigger holes is an interesting step towards my final project due to the scale of the holes in relationship with the face and body. They are similar to the size of a face and provide little windows. I was thinking that the areas that are closes to eye level where there are holes could maybe have something woven in between then to provide more coverage. Maybe some hand knitting, or other types of yarn strung between it.

Knits and polyurathane

This week so far I have made 2 larger knit samples and tried out a waterbased polyurathane for coating. I would say that it is similar to an acrylic matt medium, and doesn't make it much stronger. I think that I am going to consider building some sort of framework that the knits would be stretched in because they won't be able to stand up without that (although I think they would be able to with resin. Pictures to be posted soon.

Picnic Table

I came acros this picnic table here which was based on the same concept I was thinking about for a knitted fence. The description on the style-files says that this table "connects with the user’s garden and become a permanent piece of garden design due to the growth process of the flowers and plants, which find their way into the table’s decoration." Check this out to find out more about the designers, although there isn't too much information given (but you can see a better picture).

Update

This week I have been trying to expand the ideas I was working on. I contacted Bill Miller, the painting tech, about finding a place for me to do something larger scale in resin. He hasn't found anything yet, but said he would get back to me today about that. I also heard that Brown has a room where the whole thing is like a hood, so I am planning on checking that out. I am still not sure if it is worth it to do something larger in resin as the fumes that come off of it even after it is mainly dry might be a lot depending on the scale.

For my "skeleton knit wall" idea where the knit fabric would be a space divider/wall for the home I have been thinking about where the areas of transparency should be. I like the idea of a skeleton wall, that would be showing the structure of that wall based on its function. I worked on a new sample this week fusing 3 different parts of different transparencies together. I have to figure out what kind of units would best work as there is a size limitation with the bed of the knitting machine and I can not do the whole thing in one or two pieces. I will either have to do skinny long vertical pieces that transitition within the patterning from top to bottom, or skinny long pieces that each have their own pattern and then are turned horizontally and fused together. My other option would be to do small patchwork like units, but I am not really as interested in that idea. I think in theory though I could design something that would be fairly large and produced industrially. I would like to find out the largest size a jaquard knitting machine can produce.

I have also been thinking about the fence idea. I have been trying to observe how plants interact with fences and buildings around Providence. Now that all of the plants are starting to grow it is interesting how it has changed certain fences that I see every day. I like the idea that it is then providing more coverage when people are outside more. I took out a book on tree houses because I wanted to see how they built homes around existing trees. I have also been looking into erosion control fences, which I think could be an interesting way to take this fence idea. The structure of them seems like something that could be integrated into a fence for a yard that would also hold back land. Also though it really made me think of where I grew up and the erosion control efforts at the beach. There are fences to keep people off of the dunes as well as signs. I remember when I was younger planting new dune grass to help stop erosion. I was thinking this could be a use for a knit fabric that would also be very integrated aesthetically. This is something that personally would be very important to me, and although a newer idea something I may decide to work on for the final.

Some new samples

I made these samples this week thinking about how something could grow up a knit fabric and also about how these structures would reveal and conceal things. I photographed them when they were on the my drying rack and I like how the photographs help one imagine what they could be like on a larger scale in a space.

Branches of the fence

I noticed the branches crawling up this fence dividing my apartment from the building next to it the other day and it made me think about knit fences.

Ideas

After the mid-term critique I began thinking about the white resin coated sample and other application possibilities than what had originally caused me to make it. I have been thinking about 3 possibilities in particular.

1) Indoor moveable walls

The flexibility of this sample I found to be interesting. I was thinking that on a larger scale this kind of fabric could create a screen, partition, or moveable wall. It could be custom made to fit different shaped rooms (i.e. slanted ceilings, archways, etc). I was also thinking that some sort of magnet system could be employed so that it could be flat and at it's longest capacity closing off a room, or could be moved into a wavelike formation. If there were magnets on the floor and magnets on certain points at the bottom of the hardened knit then different points of the knit could be moved to the places on the floor to create different formations. I was also thinking that things to consider with this would be where in the room you would want the most transperancy. It could be very nice to have a very open knit at the top so that light could come through, and more of a tightly knit structure towards the middle of the room. Also, one could hang things on the knit wall very easily.

2) Outdoor Fence

I was also thinking about trellaces and fences and how a stable knit fabric could be used in that way. The way plants grow up walls, fences, etc is very interesting. I was thinking that the fractal growth of plants could be inspiration for the patterning of this structure and that there would be holes in strategic places for the stems and brances of plants to go through. So many fences are ugly and this could be more natural looking and eventually the plants would take over the fence. Maybe the yarns used would create a look of brances or be red in color to compliment the green.

3) Architectural purposes (i.e. porch roof, "screened" in sunroom, etc)

On a much larger scale I could see this type of knit fabric being used as a porch ceiling, or outdoor wall. I don't think it would be all that insulating but it could serve as many screens do on porches. The curves could be very interesting. This idea could combine elements/inspiration/concerns of the other 2 ideas as it would be both indoor and outdoor.

I am going to be thinking about these possibilities and which would be the best to pursue.