“Soft Computation and Physical Interaction Workshop” by Berzowska and Coelho

The field of electronic textiles (also called “smart fabrics”) is quite fashionable right now.

On one end of the spectrum, there are pragmatic applications such as military research into interactive camouflage or textiles with nanobots that can heal wounded soldiers. On the other end of the spectrum, artists and designers are working in the area of reactive clothes: “second skins” that can adapt to the environment and to the wearers; express aspects of wearers’ personalities, needs, and desires; and represent aggregate social information.

This one-day workshop introduces participants to the idea of electronic textiles and to the principles of soft-circuit design through hands-on demos and experimentation. Each attendee will build a squeezable “soft switch” (a simple interactive textile with stitched sensors and beaded components).

This is an exceptional opportunity to work with Joanna Berzowska, an internationally renowned artist in the field of electronic textiles, and her team from XS Labs. However, due to the cost of the materials involved in offering this workshop, the artists may need to charge a reasonable materials fee for participating in the workshop. Participants will take home the work they create in this workshop!