Exploring static electricity as design material for woven and hand-tufted textiles

Abstract: “Electrostatic textile surfaces” is a design example of surfaces which have the ability to interact to human action by movement. The design exploration was directed by the intention of achieving movement through static electricity. During this project textile techniques such as weaving and hand-tufting have been explored in combination with unconventional materials and functions and used as methods to design the surfaces. The findings from the design process regard the categorization of the yarns through the material exploration, the development of a design method through the experimentation of the technique and the surface appearance through the materialization of the method. The two final surfaces are exhibited horizontally and vertically in relation to the ground. The scale of the final structures is related to the body scale. One can electrify the surfaces by walking around or through them letting an open dialog to take place depended on personal interpretations.