Fabric of Life
Nobel Textiles involves a journey into the interface between science and design, a dialogue between researchers.
The project has been funded by the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre and the Medical Research Council.
What do you get when you pair a scientific researcher with a textile designer? Designers fundamentally shape the way we live, while scientists pervade the very fabric of our lives. Nobel Textiles involves a journey into the interface between science and design, a dialogue between leading researchers in both fields.
The languages of science and design may at first glance seem wildly different. Textiles are made with warps, wefts and shuttles on looms with treadles and heddles. Molecular research employs gels, arrays and assays to probe genes, proteins and pathways. Yet closer inspection reveals many conceptual symbioses.
The processes of science and design explore combinations of old and new technologies to create models. Both require a technical appreciation of form and structure to test and manipulate function and reveal new meaning. And both domains play a role in redefining our relationships with each other and the world around us.
Textile Design Fellows from Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design are liaising with Nobel prize-winning life scientists to develop textiles that respond to scientific discovery and celebrate and communicate the interaction between science and design. In the first part of the project five designers met five Nobel Laureates to learn about their work and explore how it might be translated into textiles, clothing or wallpaper. The meetings with Aaron Klug (Chemistry 1982), Peter Mansfield (Physiology or Medicine 2003), Tim Hunt (Physiology or Medicine 2001), John E Walker (Chemistry 1997) and John Sulston (Physiology or Medicine 2002) led to extended discussions with other scientists working in the field. The resulting 5 design proposals range from garden furniture to fashion garments and a seminar for designers, scientists and potential funders to gauge the level of interest in continuing the project.
The project is now in its development phase and the designers are working on creating artefacts for an international exhibition in 2008. There will also be an accompanying film by Palladio Films.
