This is an architectural thesis on weaving. The city is a massive textile, a patchwork of buildings, infrastructure and people. We alter the urban environment within the confines established by lot lines, streets and zoning similar to the weft on a loom, conforming to the rules of the warp. The proposed design aims to incorporate the demands of a globalized world while retaining the identity and scale of the traditional Washington building type - the rowhouse. The architectural project, located near Fourteenth and U Streets, Northwest, in Washington, DC is a hybrid of programs - a textile school, a gallery and bar for the Textile Museum, artist studios, a restaurant, leaseable space for offices and residences as well as a public garden. This complex design reflects the evolving nature of cities and a building's ability to adapt to new demands and technology; similar to the ancient art of weaving's ability to transcend centuries of evolution while retaining its inherent qualities. / Master of Architecture

Traffic simulation is a powerful tool that provides transportation engineers with the ability to test the feasibility and performance of a system before it is implemented and also helps in optimizing the proposed system. Over the past twenty years significant amount of work has been conducted on improving the quality and accuracy of transportation simulation models. Much of this work has been concentrated on microscopic simulation models because they provide traffic engineers greater opportunity to examine the inherently complex, stochastic, and dynamic nature of transportation systems when compared to traditional macroscopic models. In order to test the performance of some of the simulation models, a study is conducted on freeway weaving sections, which are considered to be one of the most complex regions to be modeled and analyzed. The intent of the research is to evaluate TRANSIMS, CORSIM, VISSIM and INTEGRATION and compare them with Highway Capacity Manual, which adopts a traditional methodology for carrying out the operational analysis of a highway system. The statistics collected for the simulation runs include weaving speeds, non-weaving speeds and density of the weaving section. / Master of Science

published_or_final_version / Economics / Master / Master of Arts

Šiuolaikiniame pasaulyje bei mene akcentuojamas kokybiškas rezultatas, gaunamas per trumpą laiko tarpą. Audimas rankomis (pvz., rankinėmis staklėmis, ant vertikalaus rėmo) – imlus laikui procesas, vis labiau tolstantis nuo kasdienės šiuolaikinių tekstilės menininkų praktikos. Nors tekstas yra populiari meno forma, austą tekstą galima sutikti retai. Šis meninis tyrimas analizuoja audimo ir teksto sinkretiškumą. Bandoma atsakyti į klausimus: kokias reikšmes šioje sąjungoje galima įžvelgti, kokia prasmė jai gali būti suteikiama. Austas tekstas, kaip tyrimo objektas, virto pagalba kalbėti apie tekstilės menininko tapatybę šiuolaikiniame mene. Tekstilės autorius, pasirenkantis kurti darbą audimo pagalba, atsiduria tradicijos ir šiuolaikines aplinkos sankirtoje. Tyrimo šaltiniais tapo interviu su austo teksto kūrėjais Lietuvoje, o taip pat literatūra, meno publicistika, straipsniai periodiniuose leidiniuose, kiti duomenys, leidžiantys įžvelgti naujų austo teksto reikšmių. Tyrimo tikslas buvo atskleisti bei surinkti galimas reikšmes, žyminčias ryšį tarp audimo ir teksto. Visos tyrimo metu surinktos reikšmės: priešprieša; laikas, laikinumas, ilgaamžiškumas; pabėgimas, atsiribojimas, išsigelbėjimas, sustojimas; meditacija, įsijautimas; istorija, tradicija; lyta; patvarumas, tvirtumas, tikrumas; komunikacija, intymumas, priminimas; sakralumas, religija; politika, ekonomika; kančia, sunkumas, sudėtingumas, sunkus darbas, meistrystė; tapatybė; prabanga. Visas šias reikšmes galima taikyti... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Contemporary world and art emphasise a high-quality result produced within a short period of time. Manual weaving (e.g. by handloom machine or on a vertical loom) is a time-consuming process which is broadly becoming an obsolete practice amongst contemporary textile artists. Although text is a popular form of art, woven text is very rare. This study intends to analyse the syncretic association between weaving and text. The following questions are raised: what are the meanings of this association and what purpose can be derived from it. Woven text, as the study object, has become an assisting instrument in the discussion of a textile artist in contemporary art. A textile artist, who decides to create art by means of weaving, finds himself standing at the crossroads of tradition and contemporary environment. The following study sources were used: interviews with Lithuanian woven text creators, as well as literature, art journalism, articles in periodic publications, and other data which allow finding new meanings of woven text. The objective of the study is to assemble the possible meanings which define the relationship between weaving and text. Meanings found in the study were the following: opposition; time, transience, longevity; escape, isolation, salvation, halt; meditation, empathy; history, tradition; tactility/touch; durability, strength, genuineness; communication, intimacy, reminiscence; sacredness, religion; politics, economics; suffering, complexity, hard work... [to full text]

Using figures from the popular culture program The Bachelor in a large-scale tapestry-style weaving, I address the drive to create idealized simulations in order to better understand one’s own reality and identity. Natural dye and traditional weaving processes in combination with digital weaving technology allow me to literally integrate the juxtaposition of analog and digital elements which defines a woven image. Dye work and pattern allow for large gestural drawing marks while individual threads overlap to create literal pixelized imagery. I examine the act of weaving as the creation of screens through which one can see, hide, or obscure. I similarly question the role of the observer of a false reality and examine the choice to participate in, construct, or re-create a simulation.

This study adopted the traffic conflict technique, investigated and applied it for evaluation of freeway weaving section safety performance. Conflicts between vehicles were identified based on the state of interactions between vehicles in the traffic stream at microscopic level. The VISSIM microscopic simulation model was employed to simulate traffic operation. Surrogate safety measures were formulated based on deceleration rate required to avoid crash and these simulation-based measures were statistically compared and validated using crash data collected from the same study site. Three study sites located in Houston and Dallas areas were selected. Geometric and traffic data were collected using various technique including the use of traffic surveillance cameras and pneumatic tubes. The study revealed the existence of links between actually observed crashes and the surrogate safety measures. The study findings support the possible the use of microscopic simulation to evaluate safety performance of weaving areas and other transportation facilities.

In recent years, the use of textile composites has grown rapidly primarily due to the high strength-to-weight ratio which they offer. The applications of fibre reinforced composites include a range of industries including aerospace, automotive, marine, civil construction, wind energy and sports. The textile reinforcements used for composites include woven, knitted, braided and stitch-bonded preforms. Among these, woven fabrics are the most widely used reinforcements which comprise interlaced warp and weft yarns oriented at 0o and 90o, respectively. This research concerns woven fabrics wherein the interlacing sets of yarns are oriented at bias. The main focus is the development of manufacturing concepts for bias woven preforms. Following a thorough study on existing bias technologies, five bias weaving concepts have been proposed for making bias woven preforms. With regard to the first of these concepts, a Desktop Bias Weaving (DBW) machine has been developed. A range of elementary and compound bias woven preforms have been successfully produced using the DBW machine. The preforms have been consolidated using the vacuum resin infusion process to make textile composites. The mechanical properties of the composite materials have been assessed, and their structure has been analysed to observe tow geometry using advanced imaging techniques such as X-ray tomography. The next step has been the development of advanced Bi-axial Bias (BiB) weaving concepts for producing quasi-isotropic bias woven preforms. Here both sets of interlacing yarns are oriented at bias. Such fabric formation requires a double rapier weft insertion mechanism. With regard to this, four concepts have been proposed and two BiB weaving machines have been developed accordingly. BiB woven preforms based on fundamental plain, twill and satin weaves have been fabricated successfully and impregnated with epoxy resin to make laminates. The weave geometry in the composite samples has been analysed using Scanning Electron Microscopy.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The modern fair trade movement and resulting network emerged during the twentieth century as a strategy to alleviate extreme poverty through creating equitable trading initiatives and markets. Since its emergence, fair trade has grown tremendously to include initiatives across the globe, particularly within the Global South. Although the intent to do good is present amongst fair traders, the impact of these initiatives remains rather ambiguous, especially in regards to culture. Using a case study approach, this thesis aims to identify the cultural implications of fair trade activities and initiatives on Ghanaian basket weavers and their local communities, and then determine the effectiveness of the fair trade movement in aligning intent with impact within this context given these findings. From there, specific policy recommendations are provided for future initiatives.

This work places itself in the field of textile design and jacquard woven textiles. By exploring the relationship between the traditional Swedish bindings simplified overshot and monk’s belt, and computer-generated design tools and digital aesthetics, the primary motive has been to design a woven collection that explores alternative and contemporary expressions of traditional textiles. By challenging traditional properties and their original context, the collection has explored their spatial recognition as experimental decorative textiles. By adapting an experimental design method that forces de-contextualization and manipulation, the outcome of the study is a collection of three woven textiles which all suggest how traditional techniques can be revisited and reworked into contemporary contexts.

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