JCAMD host major international textiles event



From 13 to 21 September, over 200 delegates from 74 institutions in 14 different countries attended the fourteenth bi-annual international conference on Digital Craft, which was hosted by the Sir John Cass Department of Art, Media and Design (JCAMD) in collaboration with the European Textile Network (ETN).

The conference programme was accompanied by a series of one, two and four-day workshops on the latest innovations in print, embroidery, weaving and laser cutting. Participants included representatives form Central St Martins College of Art, The Royal College of Art and other well-known London, national and international institutions.

The workshops were delivered by a combination of industry specialists and practicing artists. Vibeke Vestby, of Norwegian manufacturing company Tronrud Engineering, ran a four-day digital loom workshop in partnership with weave specialist Bhakti Ziek, a visiting assistant Professor at Arizona State University. Both were full of praise for the event.

Vibeke said: ‘We had 13 in the workshop from organisations all of the world. The global textiles industry needs good design to get it back on track. By sharing technical expertise with creative practitioners we are creating an environment where that can happen.’

One exhibition at the conference, On the Fringe, presented the outcomes of the collaborative research project undertaken by academic staff in JCAMD. The group, which included Tracy Hunt, Janette Harris, Pat Moloney, Kaye Newman, Gina Pierce and Paula Ashbrooke, were concerned with the meeting of traditional craft methodologies and globally vital digital technologies.

Michael Upton, Academic Leader at the Department, said: ‘We are delighted to have had the opportunity to work with the ETN on such a high profile and internationally significant event which links education, conservation and the manufacturing industry to mutual benefit. The conference, exhibition and workshops were a great success and testament to many months of hard work by our staff.’

The ETN is a high profile organisation, developed by the editors of the trade journal Textile Forum, to form international links between textile researchers, curators, practitioners, writers and students.