ARCH 46995/56995, Spring 2022
The Pliable Plane: Craft, Tectonics, and Architecture
Kent State University, College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED)

Students: Erica Adams, Riley Atkinson, Ndeye Bassel, Andrew Beck, Jacob Ching, Michael Connor, Nicole Lanese, Audrey Lemon, Aileen (Chuanlin) Lin, Sahvanna Morris, Olivia Newbrough, Matthew Niess, Caleb O’Bryon, Haley Scott, Colin Szumski, Madelyn Zaleski

In this upper-level design and research seminar explores a range of relationships between craft, textiles, and architecture, in order to conduct extensive material and technique experiments using traditional 2D and 3D weaving, sewing, quilting, and other craft techniques. The traditional construction of the woven surface and object relies on a set of specific rules, a warp and weft, over and under, limited by machine and material. This seminar will explore the potential of using a traditional handicraft, weaving, rich with a history of design exploration, (ie the Bauhaus Weaving Workshop, Black Mountain, Anni Albers), to explore both form and space. This course will cycle through readings, writing, and discussion on theory and history related to topics of craft, textiles, gender, and architecture, while simultaneously engaging the craft techniques themselves, eventually moving from traditional to experimental to architectural in the design, fabrication, and installation of a site-specific installation in the CAED building.

Exercise 01 | Textile/Craft Samples
In order to quickly gain some experience and insight into the techniques and methods of the textile crafts, we will be doing weekly making workshops.

Upcoming: On-loom Weaving (01B), Off-loom weaving (01C), Weaving Materials Exploration (01D), Quilting + Puffy (01E), Wild Card (your choice) (01F)


Basket Weaving (01A)

Exercise 02 | Space Explorations

Students work in pairs to brainstorm and mock-up a potential installation design using one or more of the techniques we covered in the previous 6 weeks. This should not be site-specific yet, but should be space-specific. Students had to ask: what space are you trying to create? Or what kind of space do you want to affect and how?

Nicole Lanese and Olivia Newbrough

Exercise 03 | Crafting Space