The intention of this creative project is to combine two directions of the Fiber Arts, weaving and papermaking, in order to create an interrelated body of work. I hope that in viewing my work people will see with new insight the beauty in nature that I have observed, and realize our natural environment is a treasure to be guarded by all. / Department of Art

Thesis (M.F.A.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1984. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 31).

The work of this MA thesis develops a new approach to hand weaving in which the design process is led by the technique of resistant dyeing. The process is inspired by the visual properties of traditional ikats. It follows the technical ikat procedure of primary resistant dyeing and subsequently weaving. Whithin the research a new way of weaving is explored in which the dyed thread dictates the weaving process and therefore influences the weaving motif. In addition different design variables such as material, binding pattern and finishing are used to push forward the developed concept. The aim of this work is to explore new aesthetic expressions between regular and irregular motifs through the application of design thinking. The result presents an innovative approach in the ikat technique in order to create random distributed patterns and how they can be already influenced in the stage of yarn preparation.

I detta arbete har jag undersökt vikten av intuitivt hantverksarbete och vidare hur det kan ta sig uttryck i en industriell process. Är resultatet alltid förutbestämt och oföränderligt i en industriell produktion, eller kan jag föra in risk som en faktor för att skapa unika objekt? / <p>viss bildmaterial har av upphovsrättsliga skäl tagits bort innan publiceringen.</p>

In this paper I am exploring why I am drawn to such labour intensive craft as weaving. In a wider perspective I ask what place slow craft has in our post industrial society. I try to find the meaning of slowness and monotonous work. I do this by repeatedly working with the circle as a motif in my weaves. By growing my own pigments to dye with I examine differ- ent kinds of slow processes. I investigate the meaning embedded in the finished weaves. I come to understand how I use weaving as a way of thinking.

Most people might not reflect upon textiles as anything more than the soft material in our clothes. As a crafts practitioner, I gain knowledge of woven materials that go beyond that. The knowledge of weaving and materials is developing the ideas that form the concept of this project. From the tacit knowledge, derived from years of practically working with textile materials, an intellectual understanding of materials and the worlds they construct is growing. In this project, I decipher my own ideas of the woven structure in order to invite others to experience the universe within textiles. I look at the weave as a structure, built up by small particles in forms of threads. If seeing the weave from a distance, each repeated pattern can in turn be perceived as the smallest element. By seeing woven materials from more than one perspective, I believe that the understanding of the construction itself can develop. As this understanding grows, so does the ability to judge the quality of the material. In this line of thought, the tools used to reflect upon what materials are, how they are made and what they signify, becomes greater. To visualise the knowledge I have of the textile structures I make, I work with a waffle weave structure, together with a dyeing technique called Ikat. I also draw connections between the woven structure and that of a map – as a tool that humans use to understand their surroundings. The use of perspectives and scale is another tool that is used to widen our perception of the world around us. In order to create an experience of the universe within textiles and to invite others into that world, I draw parallels between the miniature scale of the woven material and larger, architectural structures. The final outcome of this project is a textile installation, consisting of three weavings that together form a larger construction. The construction is open for people to enter and experience. Inside the construction a smaller woven piece is presented as a map over the woven world. This weaving initially contains the same information as the large structure, but on a much smaller scale. / <p>Image no. 16 has been removed due to copyright reasons. A link to the image can be found in the <em>List of References</em></p>