tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/fabric-31037/articles
Fabric – The Conversation
2024-01-19T13:41:44Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/218201
2024-01-19T13:41:44Z
2024-01-19T13:41:44Z
I’m an artist using scientific data as an artistic medium − here’s how I make meaning
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569152/original/file-20240112-27-8u7iv7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=2%2C0%2C1393%2C932&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sarah Nance at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, 2019.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy of Sarah Nance</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As an <a href="https://www.binghamton.edu/art/profile.html?id=snance">artist working across media</a>, I’ve used everything from thread to my voice to poetically translate and express information. Recently, I’ve been working with another medium – geologic datasets. </p>
<p>While scientists use data visualization to show the results of a dataset in interesting and informative ways, my goal as an artist is a little different. In the studio, I treat geologic data as another material, using it to guide my interactions with Mylar film, knitting patterns or opera. Data, in my work, functions expressively and abstractly. </p>
<p>Two of my projects in particular, “points of rupture” and “tidal arias,” exemplify this way of working. In these pieces, my goal is to offer new ways for people to personally relate to the immense scale of geologic time.</p>
<h2>Points of rupture</h2>
<p>An early project in which I treated data as a medium was my letterpress print series “<a href="https://www.sarahnance.com/shroud/alaska">points of rupture</a>.” In this series, I encoded data from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/cryoseism">cryoseismic, or ice quake</a>, events to create knitting patterns. </p>
<p>Working with ice quake data was a continuation of my research into what I call “archived landscapes.” These are places that have had multiple distinct geologic identities over time, like <a href="https://www.nps.gov/gumo/learn/nature/coralreefs.htm">mountains that were once sea reefs</a>.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569121/original/file-20240112-17-umjli0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="silver knitting symbols on black background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569121/original/file-20240112-17-umjli0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569121/original/file-20240112-17-umjli0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569121/original/file-20240112-17-umjli0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569121/original/file-20240112-17-umjli0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569121/original/file-20240112-17-umjli0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569121/original/file-20240112-17-umjli0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569121/original/file-20240112-17-umjli0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘points of rupture (alaska glacial event 1999),’ 2020. Letterpress print of knitting pattern coded using cryoseismic data. Edition of 15. 18 x 18 in.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Nance</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Because knit textiles are made up of many individual stitches, I can use them to encode discrete data points. In a knitting pattern, or chart, each kind of stitch is represented by a specific symbol. I used the open-source program <a href="https://stitch-maps.com">Stitch Maps</a> to write the patterns for this project, translating the peaks and valleys of seismographs into individual stitch symbols. </p>
<p>Knitting charts typically display these symbols in a grid. Instead, Stitch Maps allows them to fall as they would when knitted, so the chart mimics the shape of the final textile. </p>
<p>I was drawn to the expressive possibilities of this feature and how the software allowed me to experiment. I was able to write patterns that worked only in theory and not as physical, handmade structures. This gave me more freedom to design patterns that fully expressed the datasets without having to ensure their viability as textiles.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568495/original/file-20240109-29-ojgmd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="graphite drawing of mitten knitting chart on gallery wall" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568495/original/file-20240109-29-ojgmd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568495/original/file-20240109-29-ojgmd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568495/original/file-20240109-29-ojgmd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568495/original/file-20240109-29-ojgmd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568495/original/file-20240109-29-ojgmd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568495/original/file-20240109-29-ojgmd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568495/original/file-20240109-29-ojgmd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘and when you change the landscape, is it with bare hands or with gloves? (lichen, woodwork, grate),’ 2023. Graphite drawing of selbu mitten knitting chart. 99 x 67 linear inches as installed.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Nance</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere/glaciers">Glaciers form</a> incrementally as new snowfall compacts previous layers of snow, crystallizing them into ice. A knitted fabric similarly accumulates in layers, as rows of interlocking loops. Each structure appears stable but could easily be dissolved.</p>
<p>Ice quakes occur in glaciers as a result of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/cryoseism">calving events or pooling meltwater</a>. Like melting glaciers, knitting is always in danger of coming apart – but instead of melting, by snagging and unraveling into formlessness. These structural similarities between glaciers and knitting are reflected in the “points of rupture” prints, where disruptive ice quakes translate into unknittable patterns. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569080/original/file-20240112-19-758bfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="silver knitting symbols on black background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569080/original/file-20240112-19-758bfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569080/original/file-20240112-19-758bfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569080/original/file-20240112-19-758bfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569080/original/file-20240112-19-758bfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569080/original/file-20240112-19-758bfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569080/original/file-20240112-19-758bfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569080/original/file-20240112-19-758bfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘points of rupture (glacier de la plaine morte icequake 2016),’ 2020. Letterpress print of knitting pattern coded using cryoseismic data. Edition of 15. 18 x 18 in.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Nance</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The loop</h2>
<p>Repeated, interlocking loops are the base units that compose the structure of a knitted textile. The loop also forms the seed of an in-progress work I pursued during an artist residency with the <a href="https://lunarscience.nasa.gov/sserviteams">NASA</a> <a href="https://www.geodes.umd.edu">GEODES</a> research group. I joined their research team in Flagstaff, Arizona, in August 2023. I assisted in gathering data from sites within the San Francisco volcanic field, while also conducting my own fieldwork: photography, drawing, note-taking and walking.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568498/original/file-20240109-21-we196t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A digital map showing a crater, with a green circle indicating the path walked, around the lip of the crater." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568498/original/file-20240109-21-we196t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568498/original/file-20240109-21-we196t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=629&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568498/original/file-20240109-21-we196t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=629&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568498/original/file-20240109-21-we196t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=629&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568498/original/file-20240109-21-we196t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=790&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568498/original/file-20240109-21-we196t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=790&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568498/original/file-20240109-21-we196t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=790&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sarah Nance’s walk at S P Crater in Arizona, as recorded in AllTrails.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Screenshot of All Trails map</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One of my walks was a trek around a particularly prominent geologic loop – the rim of the S P cinder cone volcano. This is the second crater walk I’ve completed, the first being a tracing of the subsurface rim of the <a href="https://insider.si.edu/2013/03/iowa-meteorite-crater-confirmed/">Decorah impact structure</a> in Iowa. </p>
<p>I see my paths through these landscapes as stand-ins for yarn. Over time, by taking walks that trace craters, or geologic loops, I will perform a textile. The performance of something as familiar as a textile offers me a new way to think about something that is much more difficult to comprehend – <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/geologic-time">geologic time</a>. </p>
<hr>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A square box with the words 'Art & Science Collide' and a drawing of a lightbulb with its wire filament in the shape of a brain, surrounded by a circle." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Art & Science Collide series.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">source</span></span>
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<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/art-in-science-series-2024-149583">This article is part of Art & Science Collide</a></strong>, a series examining the intersections between art and science.</em></p>
<p><em>You may be interested in:</em></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/literature-inspired-my-medical-career-why-the-humanities-are-needed-in-health-care-217357">Literature inspired my medical career: Why the humanities are needed in health care</a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/i-wrote-a-play-for-children-about-integrating-the-arts-into-stem-fields-heres-what-i-learned-about-encouraging-creative-interdisciplinary-thinking-218001">I wrote a play for children about integrating the arts into STEM fields – here’s what I learned about interdisciplinary thinking</a> </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/art-and-science-entwined-this-course-explores-the-long-interrelated-history-of-two-ways-of-seeing-the-world-210250">Art and science entwined: This course explores the long, interrelated history of two ways of seeing the world </a></p>
<hr>
<h2>Performance and tides</h2>
<p>Performance has been a useful tool in my work, as it can help people understand and relate to geologic processes.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569102/original/file-20240112-21-spkjsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="artist's hands holding small chunk of glacial ice" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569102/original/file-20240112-21-spkjsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569102/original/file-20240112-21-spkjsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569102/original/file-20240112-21-spkjsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569102/original/file-20240112-21-spkjsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569102/original/file-20240112-21-spkjsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569102/original/file-20240112-21-spkjsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569102/original/file-20240112-21-spkjsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘transference,’ 2017. Atlantic sea ice, body heat. Documentation of site-responsive performance on the East Coast Trail, Newfoundland, Canada. Project supported in part by La Soupée, Galerie Diagonale, Montréal, Québec.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Nance</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The field of geology emerges from a <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/a-billion-black-anthropocenes-or-none">long history</a> of extraction and <a href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/geontologies">colonialist ventures</a>. In this context, land is valued for its economic importance – as raw material to be extracted or territory to be claimed. In my performances, I aim to interact with geology as its own active entity, rather than as a consumable resource. </p>
<p>In recent years, I have composed and performed two arias from tidal data. </p>
<p>The first, “<a href="https://www.sarahnance.com/marseille">marseille tidal gauge aria</a>,” sourced 130 years of sea level data collected from a tidal gauge in the Bay of Marseille, France. I converted each yearly average sea level into an individual note within my vocal range. This resulted in a composition that expresses the rising sea levels of the bay as increasingly higher pitches in the aria. </p>
<p>Its lyrics come from a somber poem in Rasu-Yong Tugen’s book “<a href="https://gnomebooks.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/songs-from-the-black-moon/">Songs From the Black Moon</a>.” Each note of the aria communicates not just the measured sea level but also my emotive response to this dataset. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569098/original/file-20240112-23-ffk4lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Black flexi disc with gold text and image" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569098/original/file-20240112-23-ffk4lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569098/original/file-20240112-23-ffk4lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569098/original/file-20240112-23-ffk4lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569098/original/file-20240112-23-ffk4lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569098/original/file-20240112-23-ffk4lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569098/original/file-20240112-23-ffk4lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569098/original/file-20240112-23-ffk4lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘tidal arias,’ 2022. Limited edition flexi disc with vocal performances ‘marseille tidal gauge aria’ and ‘skagway tidal aria.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Nance</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Last fall, “marseille tidal gauge aria” was transmitted <a href="https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/ionosphere">to the ionosphere</a>, the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. This was done as part of artist Amanda Dawn Christie’s project “<a href="https://ghostsintheairglow.space/transmission/august-2023">Ghosts in the Air Glow</a>,” using the <a href="https://haarp.gi.alaska.edu">High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program</a>’s ionospheric research instrument, which is an array of 180 antennas transmitting high-frequency radio waves. </p>
<p>The aria’s transmission reflected off the ionosphere, back to Earth and to shortwave radio listeners around the world.</p>
<p>For the second of these vocal pieces, “skagway tidal aria,” I used predictive as well as recorded tidal data from Skagway, Alaska. With this data, I composed an aria for <a href="https://t2051mcc.com">The 2051 Munich Climate Conference</a>, where speakers presented from the perspective of a climate-altered world 30 years in the future. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569106/original/file-20240112-25-4mocnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="vocal music score" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569106/original/file-20240112-25-4mocnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569106/original/file-20240112-25-4mocnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569106/original/file-20240112-25-4mocnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569106/original/file-20240112-25-4mocnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569106/original/file-20240112-25-4mocnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569106/original/file-20240112-25-4mocnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569106/original/file-20240112-25-4mocnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Score for ‘skagway tidal aria,’ 2021. Recorded and speculative tidal data from Skagway, Alaska (1945-2081), sonified as a vocal composition. Text from ‘Songs From the Black Moon’ by Rasu-Yong Tugen.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Nance</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I was drawn to this particular dataset because the falling tide levels in Skagway appear to contradict the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-drives-sea-level-rise-us-report-warns-of-1-foot-rise-within-three-decades-and-more-frequent-flooding-177211">global trend of rising sea levels</a>. However, this is a temporary effect caused by melting glaciers releasing pressure on the land, allowing it to rise faster than water levels. The effect will flatten over the next half-century, and Skagway’s tides will start to rise again.</p>
<p>Over the next few months, I’ll be working with geophysical datasets gathered during the NASA GEODES field expedition to write new arias. I want these pieces to continue blurring the separation between the human and the geologic, inviting listeners to think more deeply about their own relationships with the lands they use and occupy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218201/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The author's projects with GEODES and Ghosts in the Air Glow were supported with funding from these organizations.</span></em></p>
Sarah Nance uses geologic data and a variety of artistic media to help people think about their place in the landscapes they use and occupy.
Sarah Nance, Assistant Professor of Integrated Practice in Art and Design, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/217072
2024-01-12T13:28:09Z
2024-01-12T13:28:09Z
Laundry is a top source of microplastic pollution – here’s how to clean your clothes more sustainably
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568922/original/file-20240111-28-mex9ej.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C7%2C5028%2C3334&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Laundry washwater is a major source of microplastic fibers that can end up in water and soil.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/view-inside-the-washing-machine-while-washing-royalty-free-image/862037340">Venca-Stastny/iStock via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Microplastics are turning up everywhere, from <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/plastics-remote-places-microplastics-earth-mount-everest">remote mountain tops</a> to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.180667">deep ocean trenches</a>. They also are in <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani13040661">many animals</a>, <a href="https://www.undp.org/kosovo/blog/microplastics-human-health-how-much-do-they-harm-us">including humans</a>. </p>
<p>The most common microplastics in the environment are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/microfiber">microfibers</a> – plastic fragments shaped like tiny threads or filaments. Microfibers come from many sources, including cigarette butts, fishing nets and ropes, but the biggest source is synthetic fabrics, which constantly shed them.</p>
<p>Textiles shed microfibers while they are manufactured, worn and disposed of, but <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5173">especially when they are washed</a>. A single wash load can release <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158511">several million microfibers</a>. Many factors affect how many fibers are released, including fabric type, mechanical action, detergents, temperature and the duration of the wash cycle. </p>
<p><a href="https://sites.rutgers.edu/judith-weis/research-career/">My research</a> focuses on coastal ecology and water pollution, including work in New York and New Jersey marshes and estuaries that are heavily affected by human activities. Here are some things to know about reducing microplastic pollution from your washing machine.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568928/original/file-20240111-17-j58o84.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A tangle of red fibers under a microscope." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568928/original/file-20240111-17-j58o84.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568928/original/file-20240111-17-j58o84.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568928/original/file-20240111-17-j58o84.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568928/original/file-20240111-17-j58o84.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568928/original/file-20240111-17-j58o84.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=738&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568928/original/file-20240111-17-j58o84.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=738&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568928/original/file-20240111-17-j58o84.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=738&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Red microfibers collected from coastal waters in a towed sample off Newport, Ore.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/science-blog/mysterious-microfibers">NOAA Fisheries</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>From fabric to water and soil</h2>
<p>Once garments release microfibers in washing machines, the fibers enter the wastewater stream, which generally goes to a wastewater treatment plant. Advanced treatment plants <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2021.100264">can remove up to 99% of microfibers</a> from water. But since a single laundry load can produce millions of fibers, treated water discharged from the plant still contains a huge number of them.</p>
<p>Microfibers that are removed during treatment end up in <a href="https://extension.psu.edu/what-is-sewage-sludge-and-what-can-be-done-with-it">sewage sludge</a> – a mix of solid materials that is processed to remove pathogens. In many cases, treated sewage sludge is applied to soil as a fertilizer. This allows microfibers to enter air and soil, and to be transferred to soil organisms and up the terrestrial food web or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2020.109677">taken up by crops</a>. </p>
<p>Microplastics that wash into rivers, lakes and bays can have many harmful effects. They may be consumed by fish and other aquatic animals, affecting their <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13503">biochemistry, physiology, reproduction, development or behavior</a>. These microplastics contain chemical additives, including substances like <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Phthalates_FactSheet.html">phthalates</a> and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/BisphenolA_FactSheet.html">bisphenol A</a> that can leach out and may have health effects in humans and animals, including <a href="https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/exposure/endocrine">effects on the endocrine system</a>.</p>
<p>Textile microfibers also contain additional chemicals that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2023/jul/02/fashion-chemicals-pfas-bpa-toxic">have been shown to be toxic</a>, such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biori.2019.09.001">fabric dyes</a>, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/toxics10070361">anti-wrinkle agents</a> and <a href="https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/flame_retardants">flame retardants</a>. In addition, contaminants that are present in the water, such as metals and pesticides, can stick to microplastic particles, turning them into a veritable cocktail of contaminants that may be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/srep03263">transferred into animals that eat them</a> </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/83NL-8hZcFE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Textiles are a major source of microfiber pollution, which now is widely distributed throughout the world’s oceans.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Washing more sustainably</h2>
<p>Not all fabrics shed microfibers at the same rate. A loosely woven fabric that feels fluffy or fuzzy, such as fleece, sheds more than a tightly woven one. While garments made of natural fibers, such as cotton and wool, would appear to be a solution, unfortunately they <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250346">also shed microfibers</a> that can pick up pollutants in the environment.</p>
<p>Some textile scientists and manufacturers are developing <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Polluting-Textiles-The-Problem-with-Microfibres/Weis-De-Falco-Cocca/p/book/9780367760755">fabrics that shed less than existing ones</a>, thanks to features such as longer fibers and coatings to reduce shedding. Meanwhile, here are some ways to reduce microfiber shedding from your laundry:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Do laundry less often. Washing full loads instead of partial loads reduces release of microfibers because garments are <a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/laundry_microplastics.htm">exposed to less friction</a> during the wash cycle.</p></li>
<li><p>Use cold water, which <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0233332">releases fewer microfibers</a> than hot water.</p></li>
<li><p>Use less detergent, which increases microfiber release.</p></li>
<li><p>Use a front-loading washing machine, whose tumbling action <a href="https://www.neefusa.org/story/water/what-you-should-know-about-microfiber-pollution">produces less microfiber release</a>. </p></li>
<li><p>Dry laundry <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.09.025">on a clothesline</a>. Running clothes in dryers releases additional microfibers into the air from the dryer vent.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Several types of products collect microfibers in the washer before they are released with wastewater. Some are laundry bags made of woven monofilament, a single-polyamide filament that does not disintegrate into fibers. Laundry is washed while enclosed in the bag, which traps microfibers that the garments release. A study of one such product, <a href="https://guppyfriend.us/">Guppyfriend</a>, found that it <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158412">collected about one-third of released microfibers</a>. </p>
<p>Another device, the <a href="https://coraball.com/">Cora Ball</a>, is a plastic ball with spines topped with soft plastic discs that capture microfibers. It <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.12.012">reduces microfibers by about 25% to 30%</a>, but may not be suitable for loose knits because it can snag on threads and damage clothing. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568965/original/file-20240111-19-i3c3vg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A white box with a dial sits on top of a washing machine." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568965/original/file-20240111-19-i3c3vg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568965/original/file-20240111-19-i3c3vg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568965/original/file-20240111-19-i3c3vg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568965/original/file-20240111-19-i3c3vg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568965/original/file-20240111-19-i3c3vg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568965/original/file-20240111-19-i3c3vg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568965/original/file-20240111-19-i3c3vg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">External filters, like this Samsung version, can be attached to washing machines to remove most microfibers from wastewater.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://news.samsung.com/us/press-resources/media-library/?searchTerm=microfiber">Samsung U.S.</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Filter your washwater</h2>
<p>Several brands of <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2023/washing-machine-microplastic-filter/782986">external filters</a> <a href="https://celsious.com/products/planetcare-microfiber-filter">are available</a> that can be <a href="https://www.trendwatching.com/innovation-of-the-day/samsungs-laundry-filter-works-with-any-brands-washers-and-captures-98-percent-of-microfibers">retrofitted onto existing washing machines</a>. External filters can <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/polym15143023">remove up to 90% of microfibers from rinse water</a>. Their average cost is about US$150. Owners need to clean the filters periodically and dispose of the collected microfibers with other solid waste, not down the drain, which would put them back into the wastewater stream.</p>
<p>In a 2021 study, researchers installed washing machine filters in 97 homes in a town in Ontario, Canada, which represented about 10% of the households in the community. They found that this <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.777865">significantly reduced microfibers in treated water</a> from the local treatment plant.</p>
<p>Some companies are now manufacturing washers with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9ZmO1fN8t8">built-in microfiber filters</a>. France has <a href="https://www.textiletechnology.net/fibers/trendreports/eu-whitepaper-challenges-commission-to-tackle-microplastic-pollution-33929">enacted a requirement</a> for all new washing machines to be equipped with filters by 2025, and Australia has announced that <a href="https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8185735/washing-machine-filters-a-no-brainer-to-cut-pollution/">filters will be required</a> in commercial and residential washers by 2030. </p>
<p>In the U.S., a similar requirement was passed by the California legislature in 2023, but Gov. Gavin Newsom <a href="https://www.ehn.org/microplastic-filter-for-washing-machine-2666047363.html">vetoed the bill</a>, saying he was concerned about the cost to consumers. An economic study commissioned by Ocean Conservancy found that filters would increase the price of washing machines by <a href="https://tnc.app.box.com/s/jnf42lcjxjc1h5y168csa8dm31knf9y8">only $14 to $20 per machine</a>. Several states are <a href="https://dealerscope.com/2023/10/microplastics-may-lead-to-big-changes/">considering regulations that would require filters in washers</a>.</p>
<p>In my view, requiring manufacturers to add filters that can trap microfibers to washing machines is a reasonable and affordable step that could rapidly reduce the enormous quantities of microfibers in wastewater. The eventual solution will be reengineered textiles, which won’t shed, but it will take some time to develop them and move them into clothing supply chains. In the meantime, filters are the most effective way to tackle the problem.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217072/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Judith Weis is affiliated with. Beyond Plastics, Ocean Conservancy</span></em></p>
Your washing machine is polluting the ocean.
Judith Weis, Professor Emerita of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University - Newark
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/216304
2023-11-15T23:14:16Z
2023-11-15T23:14:16Z
What designers can do to make textiles healthier for people and the planet
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555594/original/file-20230927-29-m4ke9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=4%2C0%2C994%2C720&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The glamourous aspect of fashion obscures the health and socio-environmental issues of the textile industry.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwp0Bx0awoE">pollution caused by the textile industry</a> is often discussed, but its <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30278363/">impact on health</a> is less emphasized. Nevertheless, the petrochemical compounds used in the manufacturing of our clothes have harmful effects on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onD5UOP5z_c">workers</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxVq_38BoPE">surrounding communities</a>, and <a href="http://www.cec.org/files/documents/publications/11777-furthering-understanding-migration-chemicals-from-consumer-products-en.pdf">consumers</a>. This issue has a <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/static/planet4-international-stateless/2012/11/317d2d47-toxicthreads01.pdf">global impact</a>, but its assessment is complex due to our low chronic exposure to a <a href="https://www.leslibraires.ca/livres/perturbateurs-endocriniens-la-menace-invisible-marine-jobert-9782283028179.html">“cocktail” of synthetic substances</a> whose cause-and-effect relationships are difficult to identify.</p>
<p>Moreover, most of these substances prove to be toxic through interaction or degradation, as is the case with <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/chemical-substances/substance-groupings-initiative/aromatic-azo-benzidine-based.html">azo dyes</a> that are ubiquitous and persistent in the environment.</p>
<p>Through my research in sustainable textile design, I explore how design can contribute to making the textile industry more environmentally friendly, focusing on raising ecological awareness among designers, decision-makers, and the general public.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551518/original/file-20231002-15-cu6ppt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="textile dyes" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551518/original/file-20231002-15-cu6ppt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551518/original/file-20231002-15-cu6ppt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=221&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551518/original/file-20231002-15-cu6ppt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=221&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551518/original/file-20231002-15-cu6ppt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=221&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551518/original/file-20231002-15-cu6ppt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=277&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551518/original/file-20231002-15-cu6ppt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=277&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551518/original/file-20231002-15-cu6ppt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=277&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dyes made from agri-food waste and inspired by Pantone.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Vanessa Mardirossian)</span>, <span class="license">Fourni par l'auteur</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Design-led solutions</h2>
<p>In the 1960s, designer <a href="https://papanek.org/archivelibrary/victor-papanek/">Victor Papanek</a> was the first to address <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/190560.Design_for_the_Real_World">environmental issues related to industrial product design</a>. Meanwhile, biologist <a href="https://www.rachelcarson.org/silent-spring">Rachel Carson</a> initiated the emergence of ecological consciousness, shedding light on the profound impact of human activity on the environment. </p>
<p>Then in the 1990s, <a href="https://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry/basics-green-chemistry">green chemistry</a> facilitated collaboration between design and biology to develop <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1278402">ecological textiles</a>. Aligned with <a href="https://mcdonough.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Hannover-Principles-1992.pdf">The Hannover Principles</a>, these textiles aimed to enhance waste management and preserve water purity. Intending to harmonize the interdependence between human activity and the natural world by eliminating toxic inputs at their source, these principles also gave rise to the “<a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780865475878/cradletocradle">Cradle to Cradle</a>” ecodesign philosophy that popularized the concept of circular design in the early 2000s.</p>
<h2>An inspired approach from nature</h2>
<p>Humanity has always drawn inspiration from nature to create. </p>
<p>However, in the late 20th century, biologist <a href="https://biomimicry.org/janine-benyus/">Janine Benyus</a> invited us to <a href="https://biomimicry.org">observe the operating mechanisms of living organisms</a>, encouraging a reevaluation of manufacturing processes through <a href="https://biomimicry.org/chapterone/">biomimicry</a> — a concept that draws inspiration from nature’s designs and processes to create more sustainable technologies.</p>
<p>Could we, for example, produce dyes at room temperature and without toxic molecules? This approach leads to a shared reflection between design, science and engineering. This multidisciplinary vision of design, where ecology, medicine, and politics play a role in the design process to better meet the needs of society, was already advocated by Papanek in 1969.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551520/original/file-20231002-30-2h1680.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="diagram" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551520/original/file-20231002-30-2h1680.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551520/original/file-20231002-30-2h1680.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551520/original/file-20231002-30-2h1680.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551520/original/file-20231002-30-2h1680.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551520/original/file-20231002-30-2h1680.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551520/original/file-20231002-30-2h1680.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551520/original/file-20231002-30-2h1680.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Concept of ‘minimal design,’ by Victor Papanek.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Diagram taken from the work of Victor Papanek)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Developing ecological literacy</h2>
<p>In 1990, educator <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/lled3662017/files/2017/08/Orr_Environmental-Literacy-Ecoliteracy.pdf">David Orr</a> introduced the concept of ecoliteracy to address a major gap in traditional education, centered on humans and ignoring their interconnectedness with nature. He advocated for environmental education to develop a sense of belonging to one’s living environment and establish production models that promote the resilience of ecosystems. This concept helps to understand the intricate connections between human activities and ecological systems, to foster a sense of responsibility and informed decision-making.</p>
<p>In the 2000s, fashion design researcher <a href="https://katefletcher.com">Kate Fletcher</a> supported the development of this ecological literacy to help stakeholders in the industry (designers, consumers and manufacturers) understand the implicit interconnection of industrial and living systems, showing that fashion maintains a vital relationship with nature. </p>
<p>Then, in 2018, the sustainable design researcher <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/ca/design-ecology-politics-9781350258778/">Joanna Boehnert </a>emphasized that ecological literacy not only promotes the development of new, more sustainable ways of producing, but also broadens our social, political, and economic vision to systemically address transdisciplinary sustainability challenges. </p>
<p>This is also supported by biologist Emmanuel Delannoy who offers a <a href="http://permaeconomie.fr/author/edelannoy">permaeconomy</a> model, blending permaculture and economics to establish a symbiotic relationship between economic systems and the natural environment, fostering resilience and prompting a reevaluation of our connection with living organisms</p>
<h2>A colourful heritage to rediscover</h2>
<p>My <a href="https://hexagram.ca/fr/qu-est-ce-que-la-recherche-creation/">research-creation</a> proposes a critical reflection on textile dyeing. </p>
<p>This field of investigation leads me to explore colouring beyond its aesthetic to raise ecological, economic and pedagogical questions. </p>
<p>While the glamourous aspect of fashion obscures the health and socio-environmental issues of the textile industry, I direct my thinking toward a more global understanding of dyeing, including its origins, manufacturing methods and interactions with living organisms. </p>
<p>I explore the development of non-toxic dyes by studying, on one hand, literature on <a href="https://www.belin-editeur.com/le-monde-des-teintures-naturelles">natural dyes since prehistory</a>, and, on the other hand, by meeting experts in the field such as scientific historian <a href="https://www.cnrs.fr/sites/default/files/download-file/CardonD.pdf">Dominique Cardon</a> or ecoliterate artisan <a href="https://fibershed.org/staff-board/">Rebecca Burgess</a>, founder of the <a href="https://fibershed.org">Fibershed</a> concept, which aims to produce biodegradable clothing in a limited geographical space. </p>
<p>I also study field practices, including those of the Textile Laboratory of <a href="https://www.luma.org/arles/atelierluma.html">Atelier Luma</a>, which works at the intersection of ecology, textiles and regional economic development. </p>
<p>And, I keep an eye on <a href="https://www.arts.ac.uk/subjects/textiles-and-materials/postgraduate?collection=ual-courses-meta-prod&query=!nullquery&start_rank=1&sort=relevance&f.Subject-test%7Csubject=Textiles%20and%20materials&f.Course%20level%7Clevel=Postgraduate">design education programs </a>that offer an art-science approach where deep ecology is integrated into the design process. </p>
<h2>Symbiosis between nature and the textile industry</h2>
<p>Additionally, in the <a href="https://speculativelifebiolab.com/2022/04/03/cooking-and-culturing-colour-part-iv/">research laboratory</a> where I work, I experiment with the intersection of traditional and prospective dyeing recipes.</p>
<p>Inspired by the concept of <a href="https://www.scirp.org/(S(lz5mqp453edsnp55rrgjct55))/reference/ReferencesPapers.aspx?ReferenceID=1999041">industrial ecology</a> (precursor of the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/conservation/sustainability/circular-economy.html">circular economy</a>), that values the waste of one industry as resources for another, I use <a href="https://www.lapresse.ca/societe/mode-et-beaute/2021-03-30/quand-les-dechets-se-melent-de-la-mode.php">agri-food waste</a> as a colouring source, combined with the use of <a href="https://hexagram.ca/en/demo2-vanessa-mardirossian-the-culture-of-color-an-ecoliteracy-of-textile-design/">pigment-producing bacteria</a> to expand the colour palette. </p>
<p>Thus, tannins from various waste materials can be used in dye recipes. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551537/original/file-20231002-25-qtiisx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="bits of coloured fabric" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551537/original/file-20231002-25-qtiisx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551537/original/file-20231002-25-qtiisx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551537/original/file-20231002-25-qtiisx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551537/original/file-20231002-25-qtiisx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551537/original/file-20231002-25-qtiisx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551537/original/file-20231002-25-qtiisx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551537/original/file-20231002-25-qtiisx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fabric dyed from waste and bacteria.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Vanessa Mardirossian)</span>, <span class="license">Fourni par l'auteur</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But colouring a textile is only the visible part of the iceberg, as fibre preparation takes place upstream to ensure the colour’s resistance to light and washing, known as “mordanting.” Whether the fibre is animal or vegetable, different mordants will be used. </p>
<p>This expertise acquired iteratively between theory, prototyping, and results analysis contributes to gaining “textile ecoliteracy.” Coupled with a knowledge of biology, this allows for understanding the deleterious interactions between the material and living worlds. </p>
<p>Ultimately, the synthesis of ecoliteracy and biomimicry concepts has led me to reflect on a macro-vision of the fashion industry ecosystem, and to consider the concept of “textile ecoliteracy” as a means to deploy a network of intersectoral collaborations between design, health, education, and industry. </p>
<p>My research aims to show that <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/175693810X12774625387594">textile materiality must harmonize symbiotically with natural ecosystems</a> so that both parties benefit from their interaction.</p>
<p>In conclusion, the textile industry’s environmental and health impacts necessitate urgent attention and innovative solutions. This article has delved into the historical context, explored interdisciplinary approaches, and proposed the concept of “textile ecoliteracy” as a collaborative means to address these challenges. </p>
<p>By focusing on sustainable design, education, and the utilization of innovative practices, designers can play a pivotal role in reshaping the industry. The synthesis of ecological awareness and biomimicry principles highlights the potential for a harmonious coexistence between textile materiality and natural ecosystems. </p>
<p>As we move forward, fostering a symbiotic relationship between the textile industry and the environment is not just a choice but a collective responsibility — one that promises a healthier future for both people and the planet.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216304/count.gif" alt="La Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Vanessa Mardirossian is a member of Acfas, Hexagram and Concordia University's Textiles & Materiality and Critical Practices in Material and Materiality research laboratories. She has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Concordia University and Université du Québec à Montréal.</span></em></p>
The production, use and end-of-life of clothing all have an impact on our health. But greater ecological awareness could turn the tide.
Vanessa Mardirossian, PhD Candidate and educator in sustainable fashion, Concordia University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/211291
2023-08-30T13:38:58Z
2023-08-30T13:38:58Z
Kofi Ansah left Ghana to become a world famous fashion designer - how his return home boosted the industry
<p>In the 1950s and 1960s, young Africans were assisted financially by their governments to study in western countries in the hope they would return to contribute to nation <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315623399">building</a>. Individuals who qualified abroad and returned home formed the educated elites of immediate post-independent <a href="https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1374329">Africa</a>. </p>
<p>Over the years, the demography of such migrants has changed to include professionals who after graduation at home move abroad in search of employment and remain there <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136%2Fbmj.331.7519.780-b">permanently</a>. This loss of human talent and skills – the “brain drain” – is arguably one of Africa’s key developmental <a href="https://suraadiq.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Skills-for-science-systems-in-Africa.pdf">challenges</a>. </p>
<p>The migration of highly skilled professionals such as doctors, nurses, engineers and academics from Africa has serious economic, political and social implications for <a href="https://www.proquest.com/openview/cef9a0e6f56bf9de0d6683c52c60c2c7/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&c%20bl=2026366&diss=y.">development</a>.</p>
<p>But there is another side to the migration of skilled people. That is “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jofi.12198">brain gain</a>” – the return migration of professionals – and “<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/brain-circulation-how-high-skill-immigration-makes-everyone-better-off/">brain circulation</a>” – temporary migration of professionals between countries. This is not well documented, especially in the case of African countries. </p>
<p>This is the gap we sought to fill, using a case study of the late Ghanaian fashion designer, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2023.2236563">Kofi Ansah</a>. </p>
<p>Ansah’s impact on Ghanaian fashion was immense because of the timing and context of his return in 1992. He had built a successful career for 20 years in the UK and the future looked <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2023.2236563">promising</a>. On the other hand, the country he returned to was undergoing profound political and economic transformation. Ghana was transitioning from military rule to a civilian <a href="https://doi.org/10.2979/aft.2010.57.1.24">government</a>. Political tension was high, linked to an economic downturn following <a href="https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1310&context=hcoltheses">structural adjustment programmes</a> adopted in the 1980s. But Ansah chose to relocate his budding career to Ghana. </p>
<p>His case demonstrates how the knowledge and expertise migrants gather through international career mobility can be converted into assets at an individual, national and international level. Returning migrants can transform traditional industries into modern, globalised ones.</p>
<h2>Transforming Ghana’s fashion industry</h2>
<p>We are researchers in sociology, African studies and geography who have been studying how internal and external migration and spatial context influence cultural and creative practice in Ghana. For the Kofi Ansah case study we interviewed 31 Ghanaian fashion designers whose career journeys had been directly and indirectly influenced by him. These interviews are supplemented by information from social media dedicated to Ansah and his works. </p>
<p>Kofi Ansah, who <a href="https://www.peacefmonline.com/pages/showbiz/fashion/201405/198235.php">died in 2014</a>, was from a creative family. His elder sister, <a href="https://face2faceafrica.com/article/felicia-abban-ghanas-first-female-photographer-in-whose-lens-was-nkrumahs-mirror">Felicia Abban</a>, was the official photographer of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president. His elder brother, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0030503/">Kwaw Ansah</a>, is an acclaimed film writer, director and producer. </p>
<p>After completing his secondary education, Kofi enrolled in the Chelsea School of Art in the United Kingdom to study fashion design. He made his first fashion headline after he designed a beaded dress for Princess Anne. Subsequently, he worked for several successful British fashion brands, including Gerald Austin and Guy Laroche, before establishing his own studio in central London in 1980. </p>
<p>Despite his early success on the UK fashion scene, Ansah returned to Ghana in 1992 to get fresh inspiration and “try to show people that we can use our fabrics for other things … We just have to work on it and make it commercial,” he explained during an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B_FXwpwJMgV/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==">interview</a>. </p>
<p>The way cloth was produced locally, using <a href="https://www.adireafricantextiles.com/textiles-resources-sub-saharan-africa/an-introduction-to-sub-saharan-african-textiles/loom-types-in-sub-saharan-africa/">strip loom</a> technology, limited the volume of production. And the conventional styling of clothes limited their patronage. These were some of the features Ansah sought to change.</p>
<p>Ansah transformed Ghana’s fashion industry in four areas: </p>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>Fabrics and design</strong>: His modern designs used African traditional cloth, such as kente and <a href="https://craftatlas.co/crafts/bogolan">bogolanfini</a>. Linked to these style changes was his collaboration with Woodin and the Ghana Textiles Production, two textile producing companies, to introduce the sale of fabric in single yards instead of the standard six yards. This made the cloth more accessible and functional. It led to the production of casual clothes, such as skirts, blouses, shirts, shorts and trousers, for men and women. He then introduced ready-to-wear clothing at Woodin.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Accessories</strong>: Ansah was also passionate about promoting fashion accessories made with local materials. These included wood, raffia and his personal favourite, calabash. His runway designs always included stunning accessories. The use of prominent accessories has now become an integral element of African fashion shows.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Production</strong>: Ansah was instrumental in the introduction of the <a href="https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/National-Friday-Wear-Programme-launched-69720">Friday African wear policy</a> in Ghana. This was aimed at promoting the wearing of local bespoke garments in workplaces on Fridays. Ansah used his friendship with then minister for trade and industry, Alan Kyeremanten, to push his idea to democratise and regularise the use of wax print. Ansah also influenced fashion production by employing international marketing strategies like fashion shows and exhibitions. He thus opened Ghanaian fashion to international audiences by using globally accepted techniques.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Human capital</strong>: More importantly, Ansah’s vision to grow a lasting and successful industry propelled him to mentor many of Ghana’s finest contemporary designers. He partnered with international agencies to launch mentorship programmes for young designers. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>One such programme was the <a href="https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/entertainment/Roberto-Cavalli-and-Vogue-Italia-Editor-In-Chief-visit-Ghana-and-Nigeria-227092">Web Young Designers Hub</a>, financed by the French Embassy and coordinated by Ansah and <a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/franca-sozzani">Franca Sozzani</a>, former editor of Vogue Italia. Another project spearheaded by Ansah was the <a href="https://ethicalfashioninitiative.org/">Ethical Fashion Initiative</a>, a partnership between the United Nations and the Presidential Special Initiative programme. These programmes and the exposure that came with them positioned contemporary designers to engage in “brain circulation.”</p>
<p>By participating in projects, young designers had the opportunity to travel to other countries and learn about aspects of fashion such as fabric production and event organisation. Such travel was geared towards acquiring knowledge that would have an impact on Ghana’s fashion industry. </p>
<p>These engagements helped young fashion designers build networks with designers across the globe. </p>
<h2>Ansah’s impact</h2>
<p>The Ghanaian fashion industry is making its mark <a href="https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/51163/1/9781003148340_oachapter1.pdf">globally</a>. <a href="https://instagram.com/steviefrenchie?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==">Steve French</a> and other young designers are recognised for their creative works and talents. Garments made by Ghanaian designers like <a href="https://www.duabaserwastudios.com/">Duaba Serwaa</a> and <a href="https://christiebrownonline.com/en-gh">Christie Brown</a> are worn by stars such as Lupita Nyongo and Beyonce respectively. Young Ghanaians, too, proudly wear African clothes for all occasions. The current status of Ghana’s fashion industry is largely due to the efforts of Kofi Ansah.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211291/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adwoa Owusuaa Bobie received funding from the Danish Foreign Ministry (DANIDA) for this research. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Akosua Keseboa Darkwah received funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark grant number 18-05-CBS, Advancing Creative Industries for Development in Ghana for this study. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katherine V. Gough received funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark grant number 18-05-CBS, Advancing Creative Industries for Development in Ghana, for this study.</span></em></p>
International career mobility can give people valuable knowledge and expertise to be used in their home country.
Adwoa Owusuaa Bobie, Research Fellow, Center for Cultural and African Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)
Akosua Keseboa Darkwah, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Ghana
Katherine V. Gough, Professor of Human Geography, Loughborough University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/207864
2023-06-20T12:23:53Z
2023-06-20T12:23:53Z
Textile queen Maman Creppy has died: the last of West Africa’s legendary wax cloth traders has left her mark
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532901/original/file-20230620-18-mzmx1q.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Courtesy Yvette Sivomey</span> </figcaption></figure><p>Dédé Rose Gamélé Creppy, who <a href="https://nouvelangle.tg/index.php/2023/06/07/togo-disparition-de-maman-creppy-la-doyenne-des-nana-benz/">has died</a> aged 89, was one of west Africa’s most influential wax cloth traders. She was the youngest, and the last living, “Nana Benz” – the legendary first generation of women cloth traders from Togo. </p>
<p>Wax cloth was a European adaptation of a classic Indonesian batik hand printing technique which created designs using hot wax. Areas of design were blocked out by applying hot wax over them to resist dye. The cloth was introduced to west Africa by Dutch and English textile manufacturers in the <a href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2018/08/cloth-copyright-and-cultural-exchange.pdf">late 19th century</a>. Women traders – who became experts at predicting what the market wanted – started feeding design and colour suggestions back to the manufacturers. They were integral to the cloth’s success. The Nana Benzes were particularly skilled at this. </p>
<p>Wax cloth became popular because its colours stood out, it could be easily tailored into stylish outfits for both men and women, the colours are fast – they wouldn’t fade when washed. Its patterns also had messages and broadcast images, from power and politics to beauty and wealth. They could speak to joyful or complex relations between men and women.</p>
<p>The Nana Benzes, a group of about 15 Togolese women, started trading in the wax print. The word “Nana” is a diminutive form of “mother” or “grandmother” and “Benz” is for the Mercedes-Benz cars some of them liked to drive – and which they were able to buy due to their big success. </p>
<p>As an anthropologist, I encountered Maman Creppy – as she was affectionately known – several times during research for my <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo25126083.html">book</a> Patterns in Circulation: Cloth, Gender, and Materiality in West Africa.</p>
<p>Rose Creppy’s story is an incredible one. She was one of Togo’s original Nana Benzes, who created a powerful empire founded on a monopoly over patterns – manufacturers distributed specific patterns only to specific women. A successful Nana could be the unique wholesaler for over 60 patterns, sold to traders from all over the continent.</p>
<p>These design ownership rights, combined with her entrepreneurial savvy and a deep knowledge of regional tastes and style, made Maman Creppy, like other Nana Benzes, a legend throughout west Africa. </p>
<p>Their craft however is sadly in decline. Since the early 2000s production of the cloth has shifted to Chinese factories. Today, no wax comes near the process.</p>
<h2>From beads to cloth</h2>
<p>Born in the southern town of Aneho on 22 December 1934, Maman Creppy was determined to become a successful entrepreneur. She started her career trading beads imported from Ghana. But, as she recalled in one of our many conversations, “this was hard manual work”. So, once she had acquired a small trading stock, she switched to cloth. </p>
<p>Maman Creppy initially traded in European-produced fancy-prints. These were less onerous to produce and hence cheaper. Africa’s fancy-print textile industry started in the early 1960s and many newly independent countries were using the textile industry to bolster their economies. </p>
<p>As Maman Creppy accumulated more capital, she switched to English wax-prints from Arnold Brunnschweiler & Company (ABC) and later to Dutch wax cloth from <a href="https://www.vlisco.com">Vlisco</a>.</p>
<p>Maman Creppy became a Nana Benz – one of the super-wholesalers of wax cloth. They originally collected the wax cloth from Ghana’s capital, Accra, in the 1940s but, by the late 1950s, shifted the centre of trade to the Lomé market in Togo’s capital. They transformed the Lomé market into a site of economic power and national prestige. </p>
<h2>Nana Benzes boom</h2>
<p>The heyday of the Nana Benzes was from the 1960s to the early 1980s. Traders flocked to the Lomé market, not only from Abidjan, Accra, Kumasi, Cotonou, Porto-Novo, Onitsha and Lagos, but also from Kinshasa and Libreville.</p>
<p>They benefited from a unique trading position. Trade rules in some post-independence African countries made it hard to trade in the cloth. For instance in Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah’s nationalist-protectionist policies placed high tariffs on imports. This made wax-print imports unprofitable. In Togo, low tariffs made the cloth cheaper. Nana Benzes therefore became a key part of the wax print trade and enabled the Dutch to penetrate other African markets. </p>
<p>The Nana Benzes also had a monopoly over patterns – many of them unique. For instance, they intercepted Yoruba trading networks that operated along the coastal corridor between Lagos and Accra, selling so-called Yoruba and Igbo patterns in specific colourways in Lomé. It was their effective monopoly over pattern rights that garnered the Nana Benzes unparalleled wealth.</p>
<p>The Nana Benzes soon established distribution rights for these classic designs from colonial firms, such as Unilever’s United Africa Company (UAC). In the process, they strengthened ties with European firms. This allowed them to exercise control over an emergent urban cultural economy of taste.</p>
<p>The Nana Benzes had cleverly inserted themselves into the restrictive retailing systems of European trading companies with whom they negotiated exclusive pattern rights to cloth distribution. </p>
<p>Amid changing political regimes, the women consolidated their power and economic interests by creating their own professional organisation in 1965, L’Association Professionelle des Revendeuses de Tissu, a body that negotiated trading policies directly with the state. They agreed on a low-tariff regime that made their Dutch and English cloth imports relatively cheap in comparison to others in the region. In return, they lent their branding power to the state, providing it with a felicitously modern entrepreneurial façade. </p>
<h2>The downfall</h2>
<p>The end of the Cold War and the <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/161005">democracy movement</a> that liberalised political and economic spaces had serious consequences for the cloth trade. And for Rose Creppy. </p>
<p>A devaluation of the <a href="https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fabric/backgrnd.htm#:%7E:text=To%20address%20this%20situation%2C%20they,francs%20to%201%20French%20franc.">CFA franc (by 50%) in 1994</a> turned an everyday consumer good, wax cloth, into a near luxury almost overnight. Until then, wax cloth was available to most. When the price doubled, wax cloth became a luxury good. Many turned to cheaper alternatives, including counterfeits from China.</p>
<p>The liberalisation of the economy in post-Cold War Togo further derailed the Nana Benzes’ trade. The main distributor of wax cloth – Unilever’s United Africa Company – pulled out of the market and the Dutch manufacturer, Vlisco, took over its west African distribution points. This dismantled the system of exclusive retail rights that made the women’s trade profitable. </p>
<p>To add to the demise of the Nana Benzes, Chinese counterfeits entered the market in the early 2000s. </p>
<h2>Maman Creppy’s legacy</h2>
<p>Until her passing, Maman Creppy remained intimately connected to the market through her daughter, Yvette Sivomey, whom she initiated into the cloth trade in the early 2000s.</p>
<p>Like many of her older peers, Maman Creppy was married but lived independently with her children, whom she would later send to study in France; she owned a property in Lyon. In addition to her entrepreneurial activities, she held a ministerial position at the Lolan royal palace of her native Aneho. </p>
<p>Today a highly successful cloth entrepreneur herself, Sivomey works closely with Vlisco to rediscover and revive old patterns in new colour combinations. </p>
<p>The legacy of Dédé Rose Gamélé Creppy is preserved in her daughter’s work. It is alive and well, woven into the classic wax cloth patterns she co-designed and traded as one of the remarkable Nana Benzes, the women merchants of Togo.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207864/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nina Sylvanus does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Maman Creppy was one of Togo’s original Nana Benzes who had created a powerful wax cloth empire.
Nina Sylvanus, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Northeastern University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/199712
2023-02-14T21:54:25Z
2023-02-14T21:54:25Z
UK laundry releases microfibres weighing the equivalent of 1,500 buses each year
<p>Around 35% of the microplastics contaminating the world’s oceans <a href="https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/2017-002-En.pdf">come from washing our clothes</a>. When washed, synthetic clothing sheds tiny plastic fragments (typically shorter than 5mm). Known as microfibres, these fragments are a common type of microplastic, and when released pose a serious threat to marine environments.</p>
<p>Due to their small size, microfibres can be easily ingested by marine animals. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749119340552?via%3Dihub">Research</a> finds that exposure to microfibres can inhibit growth, disrupt reproduction and feeding and even cause death.</p>
<p>But the scale of microfibre pollution from laundry is poorly understood. The factors affecting microfibre discharge are complex, while these plastic fragments alone are not the only issue. Natural microfibres, such as cotton, are released from fabrics during washing and may also carry an environmental threat.</p>
<p>Yet current methods for measuring microfibre release are unreliable. A large number of studies have estimated the scale of microfibre pollution from domestic laundry. But they have obtained <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-023-25246-8/tables/1">widely varying results</a>. Each person in the UK, for example, could release anywhere between 5g and 2.14kg of microfibres each year. </p>
<p>But these estimates do not reflect the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00405000.2021.1892305">complex mechanisms</a> through which microfibres are released during washing. Clothes are made from thousands of different fabrics and we all use different washing machines and cycles to clean them. </p>
<p>Using a gyrowash (a device that replicates a domestic washing machine in lab conditions), we <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-023-25246-8?">studied</a> the effect of different washing conditions on the microfibre footprint of domestic laundry. We found that UK laundry generates up to 17,847 tonnes of microfibres each year (243g per person), weighing the equivalent of around 1,500 double-decker buses.</p>
<h2>Washing conditions</h2>
<p>We found that increasing the wash temperature from 40°C to 90°C reduced microfibre release by 26%. At this temperature, the fibres become less brittle making them less susceptible to fragmentation.</p>
<p>Wash duration, however, had only a minor effect on microfibre release. We found no significant difference in the amount of microfibres released after 30 minutes and after an hour. This is likely to be because the majority of microfibres are held loosely in the fabric and are released early on in the washing cycle.</p>
<p>What had the most significant impact on microfibre release were the ratio of water to the size of the wash load and the level of abrasion between fabrics in the washing machine drum. </p>
<p>As clothes are tossed around in the wash, they collide with each other and the sides of the drum. Called agitation, this dislodges and breaks fibres in the fabric, allowing particles to wash out of the fabric structure. When we reduced the level of agitation but kept all other wash conditions constant, the release of microfibres reduced by over 50%. </p>
<p>We also found that more microfibres were released when the water to wash load ratio was higher. More than twice as much material was released from the fabric when this ratio was doubled. Increasing the flow of liquid through the fabric likely causes more fragments to be washed out of the fabric. </p>
<p>But these results were based on just one type of fabric – a polyester fleece. So we then tested more than 40 other types of fabric, all of which are used for clothing. These included <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/cotton-fibre-and-plant">cotton</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayon">viscose</a>, <a href="https://sewport.com/fabrics-directory/polyester-fabric#:%7E:text=Polyester%20is%20a%20synthetic%20fabric,within%20the%20ester%20functional%20group.">polyester</a> and several different blends. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Clothes inside a washing machine." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510074/original/file-20230214-26-rxr3cq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510074/original/file-20230214-26-rxr3cq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510074/original/file-20230214-26-rxr3cq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510074/original/file-20230214-26-rxr3cq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510074/original/file-20230214-26-rxr3cq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510074/original/file-20230214-26-rxr3cq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510074/original/file-20230214-26-rxr3cq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">More microfibres were released when the water to wash load ratio was higher.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/clothes-washing-machine-close-542200810">Africa Studio/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Variation between fabrics</h2>
<p>We found an exceptionally large variation in microfibre release between different fabrics. A polyester elastane mix, for example, released just 96g per person annually. By contrast, 100% polyester released 1.29 kg per person every year. </p>
<p>How tightly the yarn is twisted and whether the fabric was knitted or woven both influence microfibre release. More compact yarns and fabrics, such as those used in woven shirts, help to retain fibres and reduce the likelihood that microfibres are released. But yarns and fabrics that have an open structure, such as knitwear, are more likely to allow the release of microfibres from the fabric. </p>
<p>Fabrics that include a blend of natural fibres and other synthetic non-plastic fibres, such as viscose, also released significant amounts of microfibres when washed. This is important, as cotton fibres may take years (and often hundreds of years) to biodegrade. In 1990, intact cotton garments were <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1179/019713601806113076">retrieved</a> from a shipwreck near the coast of North Carolina after 133 years underwater. </p>
<p>Natural microfibres may carry a threat to marine organisms, particularly in early life stages. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysida#:%7E:text=Mysids%20have%20a%20cosmopolitan%20distribution,percent%20are%20found%20in%20freshwater.">Mysid shrimps</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inland_silverside">inland silverside</a> fish are indicator species that live in river estuaries. Declining water quality can be monitored through changes in the behaviour or population of such species. <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.991650/full?&utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Marine_Science&id=991650">Research</a> reveals that exposure to cotton microfibres in salty water can cause reduced growth in mysid shrimps and can change the swimming behaviour of inland silversides.</p>
<h2>Doing your laundry responsibly</h2>
<p>Any quantity of microfibres can be harmful to living organisms and their release should be avoided. But this is just one of a number of problems facing the fashion industry. For example, around <a href="https://wrap.org.uk/sites/default/files/2021-03/WRAP-textiles-market-situation-report-2019.pdf">350,000 tonnes</a> of clothing ends up in landfill in the UK each year. This is the same as every person in the UK throwing more than 5kg of their clothing in the bin.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/fast-fashion-why-your-online-returns-may-end-up-in-landfill-and-what-can-be-done-about-it-188090">Fast fashion: why your online returns may end up in landfill – and what can be done about it</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But reducing the environmental impact of your laundry is relatively simple. </p>
<p>Only washing your clothes when they are dirty is a great start. But when you do your laundry, load your washing machine to two-thirds of the drum’s capacity. This will clean your clothes but will reduce the release of microfibres. However, you should bear in mind that overfilling a washing machine can reduce the quality of the wash.</p>
<p>We now have a reliable method for measuring microfibre pollution and a better understanding of the types of fabric and washing conditions that determine laundry’s environmental impact. But the problem is not purely about synthetic fibres. Some natural microfibres are equally hazardous and their impact is becoming increasingly apparent.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199712/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The University of Leeds receives funding from the Microfibre Consortium to support the research project on microfibres </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>The University of Leeds receives funding from the Microfibre Consortium to support the research project on microfibres</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>The University of Leeds receives funding from the Microfibre Consortium to support the research project on microfibres. Mark Taylor has also received funding from UKRI as part of a research consortium with University West of England to investigate microfibres in the home (<a href="https://homesunderthemicroscope.co.uk/">https://homesunderthemicroscope.co.uk/</a>).
He is affiliated with the Microfibre Consortium as a member of the organisations technical committee.</span></em></p>
By washing our clothes, we release microfibres into the environment which are then ingested by marine animals.
Mark Sumner, Lecturer in Sustainablity, Fashion and Retail, University of Leeds
Alice Hazlehurst, Postgraduate Researcher, University of Leeds
Mark Taylor, Research Officer, University of Leeds
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/178783
2022-04-13T20:33:36Z
2022-04-13T20:33:36Z
Curious Kids: how is fabric made?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456533/original/file-20220406-22-i84cbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C6%2C4056%2C2817&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/craftsman-using-old-spinning-wheel-turn-1479103070">Shuttershock</a></span></figcaption></figure><blockquote>
<p><strong>How is fabric made? – Saskia, age 5, Sydney</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/curious-kids-36782"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291898/original/file-20190911-190031-enlxbk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=90&fit=crop&dpr=1" width="100%"></a></p>
<p>Hi Saskia, that’s a great question! </p>
<p>From clothes to curtains, towels and sheets, fabrics are everywhere in our daily lives. You might also hear people call them “textiles”. </p>
<p>People have been making fabric, or textiles, for a very long time. In fact, they’ve been doing it for almost 35,000 years!</p>
<p>Let’s first think about what a fabric is. The dictionary says fabric is a cloth made by knitting or weaving together <em>fibres</em>. </p>
<h2>What is a fibre?</h2>
<p>A fibre is like a strand of hair. It’s very long and thin.</p>
<p>Fibres can come from nature. Some common natural fibres are cotton, silk and wool. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A branch of cotton laid across a wooden table." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456529/original/file-20220406-20-chr9z5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456529/original/file-20220406-20-chr9z5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456529/original/file-20220406-20-chr9z5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456529/original/file-20220406-20-chr9z5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456529/original/file-20220406-20-chr9z5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456529/original/file-20220406-20-chr9z5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456529/original/file-20220406-20-chr9z5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Raw cotton as it is found on the branch.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cotton-plant-buds-over-wooden-background-290823218">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Humans have also found ways to make fibres ourselves in the past 150 years. We can use technology to turn oil into fibres. We can even make special fibres to make your raincoat waterproof, or make a soldier’s vest bullet-proof. </p>
<p>But how can these thin, hair-like fibres be made into something we can wear?</p>
<h2>From fibre to yarn</h2>
<p>First, we need to put the fibres together to make long strings of yarn. This can be tricky because many fibres are quite short, especially natural ones. </p>
<p>A cotton fibre is usually only around 3cm long. That’s shorter than a paper clip. Wool is usually cut from a sheep when it is 7.5cm long – about the length of a crayon. </p>
<p>We twist these shorter fibres together to make a longer yarn. The twisting makes the fibres rub together and grip to each other. This is called <em>yarn spinning</em>. </p>
<h2>Yarn spinning</h2>
<p>The first step of yarn spinning involves taking bundle of fibres, lining them up, them combing them like you comb your hair … or how you might comb a long beard! In fact, when we’ve combed them into a sheet, we call it a “beard”.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Hand holding raw wool spinning it into yarn." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456524/original/file-20220406-22-19224l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456524/original/file-20220406-22-19224l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456524/original/file-20220406-22-19224l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456524/original/file-20220406-22-19224l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456524/original/file-20220406-22-19224l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456524/original/file-20220406-22-19224l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456524/original/file-20220406-22-19224l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Before we can make wool into fabric, it needs to be spun into yarn.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/close-hands-woman-demonstrating-traditional-wool-150051644">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Next, the sheet is stretched into a long tube. As it stretches, it becomes thinner and thinner. Then we twist it to form a yarn. This delicate sheet of fibres may have been metres wide to begin with, but we twist it into a thin thread. </p>
<p>There are all types of yarn threads. They can be thin, thick, hard, soft, stretchy, or even ones you can’t cut! It all depends on the starting fibre and the machine settings. </p>
<h2>Turning yarn into fabric</h2>
<p>Once we have our yarn, we’re ready to make fabric. There are many ways do this, such as weaving, knitting or felting. </p>
<p><em>Weaving</em> crosses the yarns over and under in a chessboard pattern. <em>Knitting</em> makes loops that pass through each other. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman weaves pink and yellow yarns into frabric using wooden poles." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456530/original/file-20220406-18-icfn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456530/original/file-20220406-18-icfn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456530/original/file-20220406-18-icfn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456530/original/file-20220406-18-icfn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456530/original/file-20220406-18-icfn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456530/original/file-20220406-18-icfn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456530/original/file-20220406-18-icfn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Weaving yarn into fabric can be done by hand, or by machine.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/woman-typical-guatemalan-dress-weaving-colored-1897092847">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em>Felting</em> is when we get wool fibres wet and soapy. We rub the fibres together until they are all tangled up. Then we press the fibres into a flat sheet called felt.</p>
<p>Weaving, knitting and felting can be very slow if you do them by hand! These days we often use machines to speed things up.</p>
<h2>How fabric is made</h2>
<p>So we start with the fibre. Then we spin it into long strings of yarn. Next we weave, knit or felt the yarn into fabric. And that, Saskia, is how we make fabric. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>Hello, curious kids! Have you got a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/178783/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ken Aldren S. Usman receives funding from Deakin University's Post-graduate Research (DUPR) Scholarship Grant.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dylan Hegh receives funding from Australian National Fabrication Facility, IMCRC and Sustainability Victoria</span></em></p>
From fibre to fabric. The process of making textiles has been important to humans for almost 35,000 years.
Ken Aldren S. Usman, PhD Candidate, Deakin University
Dylan Hegh, Manager - Circular Economy Initatives and ANFF-Deakin Hub, Deakin University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/149613
2020-11-19T18:53:35Z
2020-11-19T18:53:35Z
Polypropylene, the material now recommended for COVID-19 mask filters: What it is, where to get it
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368470/original/file-20201110-14-16u9mjj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=209%2C0%2C4943%2C3406&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">New recommendation advise using an additional layer of polypropylene fabric in cloth masks to act as a filter.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Sara Alas/Niko Apparel)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Adding a third layer to cloth face masks is now recommended for preventing the spread of COVID-19. Non-woven polypropylene fabric is the material of choice for this third layer, but many people may not know what this material is, or where to get it. </p>
<p>With masks being made at home and by local clothing companies, here’s what you need to know about Public Health Agency of Canada’s <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/prevention-risks/about-non-medical-masks-face-coverings.html#a2">new recommendations</a>.</p>
<p>Every study that has examined layering has found that using additional layers in face masks <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2020.07.020">improves filtration, but some fabrics provide more filtration than others</a>. We support the public health recommendation, and specifically recommend the use of industry-grade “spunbond” polypropylene as a middle layer in washable cloth masks. </p>
<p>Spunbond polypropylene destined for the clothing and furniture industries has a fabric-like feel. It is washable and will not divert supply of medical-grade polypropylene from the manufacture of formal personal protective equipment. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368410/original/file-20201109-15-zwsa6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368410/original/file-20201109-15-zwsa6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368410/original/file-20201109-15-zwsa6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368410/original/file-20201109-15-zwsa6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368410/original/file-20201109-15-zwsa6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368410/original/file-20201109-15-zwsa6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368410/original/file-20201109-15-zwsa6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A pleated cloth mask with the bottom seam opened and a rectangle of washable industry-grade spunbond polypropylene inserted as a filter.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Sara Alas/Niko Apparel)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/centre-excellence-protective-equipment-and-materials-cepem">research group</a>, with expertise in epidemiology, chemistry, textiles and the mask industry, seeks to improve cloth masks for community use.</p>
<h2>Types of non-woven polypropylene</h2>
<p>Traditional materials for clothing and furniture have a woven or knitted structure. Non-woven materials, by contrast, have a random arrangement of fibres, like spaghetti on a plate. This randomness enables <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/10/30/science/wear-mask-covid-particles-ul.html">high particle filtration</a> while remaining highly breathable.</p>
<p>There are many types of non-woven polypropylene. The most common are spunbond, meltblown and spunlace materials. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368412/original/file-20201109-14-15pbkrw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368412/original/file-20201109-14-15pbkrw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368412/original/file-20201109-14-15pbkrw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368412/original/file-20201109-14-15pbkrw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368412/original/file-20201109-14-15pbkrw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=691&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368412/original/file-20201109-14-15pbkrw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=691&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368412/original/file-20201109-14-15pbkrw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=691&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The regular pattern of tiny point welds can be seen in this sample of washable, industry-grade white spunbond polypropylene.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Mark Diamond/Veratex Lining Ltd.)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In some spunbond polypropylene the randomly oriented fibres are compressed and melted together in a pattern of small, closely spaced welds, called point bonds. </p>
<p>Lightweight medical-grade spunbond polypropylene, found in the outer layers of three-layer certified medical masks, has been tailored for medical uses. But as a single-use material, it is not designed to be washed. </p>
<p>Washable spunbond polypropylene is used in the clothing and furniture industry. It is one of several materials used as interfacing, to give structure to waistbands and collars, and around zippers. It is also used to seal the bottom of couches and chairs. It is readily available from fabric distributors and is not currently in short supply since it is not part of the supply chain for personal protective equipment. This material likely aligns with public health recommendations. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IvZkSInterg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Industry-grade spunbond polypropylene has a fabric-like feel and cuts without fraying.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Recommended material</h2>
<p>For community mask manufacture, we suggest using industry-grade spunbond polypropylene.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369344/original/file-20201113-17-1rpg4kq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369344/original/file-20201113-17-1rpg4kq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369344/original/file-20201113-17-1rpg4kq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369344/original/file-20201113-17-1rpg4kq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369344/original/file-20201113-17-1rpg4kq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369344/original/file-20201113-17-1rpg4kq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369344/original/file-20201113-17-1rpg4kq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A three-layer pleated mask using cotton outer layers and a fully-integrated middle layer of 68 gsm (two ounces per square yard) polypropylene. The mask is quite structured but comfortable, because of the cotton, and completely washable.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Catherine Clase)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Manufacturers produce single and double layers of spunbond. There are few published data on its filtration properties, but we suggest using a fabric with a rating of 68 grams per square metre, or two layers of a less dense one. </p>
<p>The material can be integrated as a middle layer when masks are being made. </p>
<p>Alternatively, a rectangle of spunbond polypropylene can be inserted between the two outer layers of a cloth mask. The material does not fray easily. If using two layers of polypropylene, we suggest folding the material in half and sewing it together with a simple stitch or an overlock, to make a washable filter. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r6pNOqQi1YA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Two layers of 34-51 gsm polypropylene can be stitched together to make a washable filter. Hang or lay flat to dry.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The polypropylene can be cleaned as recommended by Health Canada: <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/prevention-risks/how-put-remove-clean-non-medical-masks-face-coverings.html#_Cleaning_and_disposing">a hot wash with detergent</a>. It can be washed with the mask or separately. It should not be tumble dried: it should be removed from the mask and hung or laid flat to dry before reinserting. Do not iron it: it is plastic and will melt. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368458/original/file-20201110-17-dxcxq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368458/original/file-20201110-17-dxcxq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368458/original/file-20201110-17-dxcxq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368458/original/file-20201110-17-dxcxq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368458/original/file-20201110-17-dxcxq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368458/original/file-20201110-17-dxcxq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368458/original/file-20201110-17-dxcxq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Two layers of black industry-grade spunbond sewn to make a washable filter.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Mark Diamond/Veratex Lining Ltd.)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.clothmasks.ca/">Our website</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2020.07.020">previous research</a> summarize what is known about choosing suitable material for the other layers.</p>
<p>Fabric distributors have these materials in bulk and are working to get them to retail. Mask makers can expect to see them in stores by late November.</p>
<h2>Unsuitable materials</h2>
<p>It is important to recognize that not all interfacing is polypropylene. Many brands are polyester or polyester-rayon blends. This is a completely different material. In the retail market, interfacing is sometimes sold as a fusible product. This means that it is pre-glued to help with accurate placement before it is stitched into place. These pre-glued fabrics should not be used for face coverings because the glue may affect filtration and breathability. </p>
<p>Some reusable shopping bags made from spunbond have a shiny plastic coating. These are not breathable and should not be used.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368430/original/file-20201109-16-vtaxzk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368430/original/file-20201109-16-vtaxzk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368430/original/file-20201109-16-vtaxzk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368430/original/file-20201109-16-vtaxzk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368430/original/file-20201109-16-vtaxzk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368430/original/file-20201109-16-vtaxzk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368430/original/file-20201109-16-vtaxzk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some shopping bags made from spunbond polypropylene have a shiny plastic surface: they are not breathable and should not be used.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Jonathan Clase)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Meltblown polypropylene is used as the middle layer of many certified medical masks and in the manufacture of respirators such as N95s: it filters very well. It remains in short supply, with many distributors in Canada fully committed to July 2021. It is not intended to be washed, though novel programs for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.201203">limited reuse of respirators</a> have been developed for hospitals. </p>
<p>Because of the supply issue and because it is not washable, we do not recommend using meltblown polypropylene for reusable non-medical masks. </p>
<p>Disposable non-medical filters intended to be inserted into pocket masks are sold commercially and may contain meltblown, spunbond and other components; it is not always possible to determine their composition from the packaging or advertisements. Currently no standards define their use in Canada. They are designed to be discarded after each use.</p>
<p>Spunlace polypropylene tends to be naturally springy and in contrast to spunbond and meltblown, it absorbs liquids. Some wet wipes are produced by spunlace methods. However, the material used is often not polypropylene but rather viscose-polyester blend, to increase absorbency. The composition of the wet ingredients is clearly specified on packaging, but many wipes do not include the fibre composition of the material. These materials are not intended to be laundered and reused. Some wipes contain active ingredients that might be harmful if inhaled. For all these reasons, we do not recommend using dried-out wipes as filters.</p>
<p>Non-woven polypropylene made with a needle-punch method is a continuous material that is completely perforated by thousands of fine needles on a roller. These holes offer a low-resistance path for airflow without fibres projecting into the gap. We predict they would filter poorly and do not recommend them.</p>
<h2>Imperfect does not mean unhelpful</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368456/original/file-20201110-20-173eoo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368456/original/file-20201110-20-173eoo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368456/original/file-20201110-20-173eoo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368456/original/file-20201110-20-173eoo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368456/original/file-20201110-20-173eoo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368456/original/file-20201110-20-173eoo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368456/original/file-20201110-20-173eoo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some existing cloth masks can be adapted, even if they don’t have a pocket. In a pleated design, the bottom seam can be opened to allow a washable filter to be inserted.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Catherine Clase)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Imperfect use of imperfect masks has the potential to <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspa.2020.0376">help control the spread of COVID-19</a>. Important <a href="https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00818">decreases in transmission</a> have been observed following mask mandates, using the masks currently available. Industry is working to respond to the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/prevention-risks/about-non-medical-masks-face-coverings.html#a2">new guidelines</a> by increasing the availability of polypropylene fabrics. </p>
<p>At the <a href="https://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/centre-excellence-protective-equipment-and-materials-cepem">Centre of Expertise in Protective Equipment and Materials</a>, engineering faculty and graduate students are working to identify the best materials to use for cloth masks. We hope to be able to describe textiles that are likely to filter well and be breathable using standard industry descriptors such as the type of material and the weight. </p>
<p><em>Barry Diamond, managing director of Veratex Lining Ltd., co-authored this article. He is a member of the Cloth Mask Knowledge Exchange.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/149613/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Catherine Clase is a member of the Cloth Mask Knowledge Exchange, a research and knowledge translation group which includes industry stakeholders. Industry stakeholders contribute to the Cloth Mask Knowledge Exchange by contributing to grant funding, and through in-kind contributions of time and expertise. Industry stakeholders make masks and distribute polypropylene and other fabrics. They may potentially benefit from this article.
Catherine has received consultation, advisory board membership or research funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health, Sanofi, Pfizer, Leo Pharma, Astellas, Janssen, Amgen, Boehringer-Ingelheim and Baxter. In 2018 she co-chaired a KDIGO potassium controversies conference sponsored at arm's length by Fresenius Medical Care, AstraZenec, Vifor Fresenius Medical Care, relypsa, Bayer HealthCare and Boehringer Ingelheim.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Prof. Charles-François de Lannoy is a member of the Cloth Mask Knowledge Exchange, a research and knowledge translation group which includes industry stakeholders. Industry stakeholders contribute to the Cloth Mask Knowledge Exchange by contributing to grant funding, and through in-kind contributions of time and expertise. Industry stakeholders make masks and distribute polypropylene and other fabrics. They may potentially benefit from this article.
Charles has received research funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF), Global Water Futures (GWF), Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), Southern Ontario Water Consortium (SOWC), MITACS, ECO Canada, the France-Canada Research Fund, McMaster University, and the North American Membrane Society (NAMS).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Scott Laengert is the recipient of an NSERC scholarship.</span></em></p>
Everything you need to know about non-woven polypropylene, the fabric now recommended for use as a filter in cloth face masks: What it is, what to look for and where to find it.
Catherine Clase, Physician, epidemiologist, associate professor, McMaster University
Charles-Francois de Lannoy, Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering, McMaster University
Scott Laengert, PhD Student, Chemical Engineering, McMaster University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/136122
2020-04-16T12:20:22Z
2020-04-16T12:20:22Z
Making masks at home – what you need to know about how to reduce the transmission of coronavirus
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/328188/original/file-20200415-153330-1peugts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C5751%2C3802&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Homemade masks will not filter the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but may prevent transmission of droplets and spray between individuals.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/search/stack/798222728?assettype=image&family=creative&uiloc=view_all_same_series_adp">Nikola Stojadinovic/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation to use <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover.html">cloth face coverings</a> to help slow the spread of COVID-19 has generated numerous how-to articles and videos. As academics who focus on personal protective equipment (PPE) research and development, we are concerned about the lack of information about two critical features of home mask design: fit and fabric selection. </p>
<h2>The reality of particle size</h2>
<p>Virus particles are tiny, ranging from 0.1 to 0.3 micron. A size 40 micron particle is visible with the naked eye – anything smaller, you need specialized equipment to see it. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327352/original/file-20200412-123487-d49vpy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327352/original/file-20200412-123487-d49vpy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327352/original/file-20200412-123487-d49vpy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=577&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327352/original/file-20200412-123487-d49vpy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=577&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327352/original/file-20200412-123487-d49vpy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=577&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327352/original/file-20200412-123487-d49vpy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=725&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327352/original/file-20200412-123487-d49vpy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=725&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327352/original/file-20200412-123487-d49vpy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=725&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">SARS-CoV-2 virus in comparison to other known particles (not to scale).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Susan Sokolowski</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Protective masks like the N95 are designed to prevent virus particles from flowing in and out of the mask. Due to <a href="https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/personal-protective-equipment-infection-control/n95-respirators-and-surgical-masks-face-masks">current shortages</a>, N95 masks should be reserved for COVID-19 health care workers only.</p>
<h2>Better than nothing</h2>
<p>Homemade masks cannot block or filter the SARS-CoV-2 virus, because it can easily flow through every common material people have at home. However, a homemade mask is still better than none at all. If made correctly, a homemade mask can reduce the transmission of the virus from the wearer to others by impeding large droplets and spray produced by a cough or sneeze. It can also reduce the transmission of the virus from others to the wearer.</p>
<h2>Fit</h2>
<p>Masks should completely cover the nose and mouth. When measuring for a mask pattern, make sure it extends from the top of the nose – as close as possible to the eyes without obstructing sight – to under the chin. Masks should cover the face side-to-side, well past the opening of the mouth. </p>
<p>When developing prototypes, check around all edges of the mask for gaps. If you see any, close them up by pinching the fabric together, and stitch or tape or staple edges together to create a pleat or dart. A thin metal wire or paper clip placed along the top edge of the mask can stabilize and shape it along the bridge of the nose and cheekbone for a closer fit.</p>
<p>Masks should stay securely in position and fit comfortably with ties or elastic ear loops. If the mask is too tight or loose, the wearer may continuously adjust the mask forgetting the admonition – “Don’t touch your face!” </p>
<p>The ties and loops should also be the <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks">mechanism for taking off the mask</a>, as the front of the mask might be contaminated.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327373/original/file-20200412-51445-1bizpy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327373/original/file-20200412-51445-1bizpy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327373/original/file-20200412-51445-1bizpy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=261&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327373/original/file-20200412-51445-1bizpy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=261&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327373/original/file-20200412-51445-1bizpy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=261&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327373/original/file-20200412-51445-1bizpy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=328&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327373/original/file-20200412-51445-1bizpy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=328&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327373/original/file-20200412-51445-1bizpy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=328&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A properly fitting mask.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Arlys Dayton</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Fabric selection</h2>
<p>People have varying access to different fabrics at home. Masks should incorporate fabrics that:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Reduce virus transmission to and from the nose and mouth </p></li>
<li><p>Wrap around the face and are comfortable next to the skin</p></li>
<li><p>Are easy to wash and sanitize. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Fabric is comprised of four variables that must be considered for mask making: fiber, yarn, structure and finish. Change a variable - and mask performance changes. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327357/original/file-20200412-51445-1fedkyn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327357/original/file-20200412-51445-1fedkyn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327357/original/file-20200412-51445-1fedkyn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=111&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327357/original/file-20200412-51445-1fedkyn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=111&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327357/original/file-20200412-51445-1fedkyn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=111&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327357/original/file-20200412-51445-1fedkyn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=139&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327357/original/file-20200412-51445-1fedkyn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=139&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327357/original/file-20200412-51445-1fedkyn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=139&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Variables that make up a fabric.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Susan L. Sokolowski and Karen L. LaBat</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fibers are the smallest component of a fabric. They cannot be identified by sight or touch. Look for a fiber content label on the products or fabrics you might use for your mask. Alternately, a “<a href="https://info.fabrics.net/fabric-facts/fabric-identification/">burn test</a>” can be used as a crude method to determine if a fabric is a natural fiber, human-made fiber, or a blend of natural and man made fibers. If you choose this method be careful. </p>
<p>There are three important fiber characteristics to consider for mask making. The first is micron size – the diameter of a fiber. The SARS-CoV-2 virus particle is 0.1 to 0.3 micron, so small-sized fibers allow for more compact fabric structures to reduce transmission. The second is how the fiber feels next to skin – this will indicate how comfortable a mask may feel next to your face. The third is moisture regain – how well the fiber absorbs moisture. A higher number means more absorbency; low regain gives a sense of how well the fiber might repel moisture. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327553/original/file-20200413-141787-1n5mjcf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327553/original/file-20200413-141787-1n5mjcf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327553/original/file-20200413-141787-1n5mjcf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327553/original/file-20200413-141787-1n5mjcf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327553/original/file-20200413-141787-1n5mjcf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327553/original/file-20200413-141787-1n5mjcf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=691&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327553/original/file-20200413-141787-1n5mjcf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=691&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327553/original/file-20200413-141787-1n5mjcf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=691&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Generic fiber characteristics and mask considerations.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Susan L. Sokolowski and Karen L. LaBat</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fibers are twisted together to form yarns. Yarns vary in size affecting fabric thickness and breathability. “Yarn count” is the number of yarns in a 1-inch square of woven fabric. A high yarn count fabric indicates a dense fabric with droplet blocking potential. Yarns with different properties can be blended to combine characteristics. </p>
<p>Yarns are then structured into the physical fabric.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/328199/original/file-20200415-153351-pe774v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/328199/original/file-20200415-153351-pe774v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/328199/original/file-20200415-153351-pe774v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=216&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328199/original/file-20200415-153351-pe774v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=216&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328199/original/file-20200415-153351-pe774v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=216&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328199/original/file-20200415-153351-pe774v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328199/original/file-20200415-153351-pe774v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328199/original/file-20200415-153351-pe774v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Types of fabric.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Susan L. Sokolowski and Karen L. LaBat</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/328190/original/file-20200415-153351-kzlaym.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/328190/original/file-20200415-153351-kzlaym.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/328190/original/file-20200415-153351-kzlaym.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=205&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328190/original/file-20200415-153351-kzlaym.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=205&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328190/original/file-20200415-153351-kzlaym.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=205&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328190/original/file-20200415-153351-kzlaym.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=258&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328190/original/file-20200415-153351-kzlaym.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=258&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328190/original/file-20200415-153351-kzlaym.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=258&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Structures and mask considerations.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Susan L. Sokolowski and Karen L. LaBat</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Performance finishes, like water repellency and antimicrobials, are not visible but could be helpful. Detect water repellency or moisture wicking by using an eye dropper to place a drop of water on a fabric to see how it moves across the fabric. Aesthetic finishes like graphics and batik are not so useful. </p>
<h2>Put it all together</h2>
<p>There are many fabric variables to reckon with for a homemade mask. Consider building a three-layer system.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327818/original/file-20200414-117598-1s2srlb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327818/original/file-20200414-117598-1s2srlb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327818/original/file-20200414-117598-1s2srlb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=181&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327818/original/file-20200414-117598-1s2srlb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=181&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327818/original/file-20200414-117598-1s2srlb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=181&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327818/original/file-20200414-117598-1s2srlb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=227&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327818/original/file-20200414-117598-1s2srlb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=227&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327818/original/file-20200414-117598-1s2srlb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=227&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Three-layer mask system considerations.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Susan L. Sokolowski and Karen L. LaBat</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This three-layer system includes a space between the inner and outer layers for a removable middle layer. A replaceable “filter” is inserted in that space. If one fabric layer is too thin, add additional layers for protection. </p>
<p>Homemade masks will not filter the SARS-CoV-2, however, masks may prevent droplets and spray from transmitting between individuals. When wearing a mask, remember to continue social distancing, wash hands frequently and wipe down surfaces and packages.</p>
<p>[<em>Get facts about coronavirus and the latest research.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=upper-coronavirus-facts">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.</a>]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/136122/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
At-home mask makers should carefully consider fit and fabric variables when designing face coverings to help prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
Susan L. Sokolowski, Director & Associate Professor of Sports Product Design, University of Oregon
Karen L. LaBat, Professor Emerita of Design, University of Minnesota
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/122894
2019-09-13T09:44:42Z
2019-09-13T09:44:42Z
Could fungi save the fashion world?
<p>Environmental action group Extinction Rebellion is disrupting London Fashion Week to highlight the harms of <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/extinction-rebellion-london-fashion-week-cancel-a9101146.html">throwaway culture</a> and the concurrent climate emergency that the clothing market contributes to. Calling for the cancellation of future fashion weeks in acknowledgement of the crisis, it plans to target show venues and hold a funeral procession called “<a href="https://rebellion.earth/event/london-fashion-week-rest-in-peace/">London Fashion Week: Rest in Peace</a>”.</p>
<p>These may be new tactics but the problems with the industry have long been known. Very high water usage, pollution, a high carbon footprint and bad working conditions mean that the fashion industry, and in particular cheap cotton garments such as denim jeans, are known to be extremely environmentally and socially damaging. This is before we even consider the impact of fast fashion, inexpensive clothing produced rapidly in response to the latest trends. Such items inevitably end up in an overfull landfill site before they are even near “worn out”. </p>
<p>This is common knowledge, and so many “solutions” to this situation have been suggested. </p>
<p>Currently in vogue is the concept of “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2019/aug/01/slow-fashion-how-to-keep-your-favourite-clothes-for-ever-from-laundering-to-moth-proofing">slow fashion</a>”, an approach which considers the processes and resources required to make clothing and recommends that we buy quality garments that will last for longer. Another often touted option is the recommendation that we simply buy less, something encouraged by the protest groups involved in “<a href="http://www.buynothingday.co.uk/">Buy Nothing Day</a>” and initiatives such as Oxfam’s “<a href="https://oxfamapps.org/secondhandseptember/">Second Hand September</a>”.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1168095655342092289"}"></div></p>
<h2>Designing a way out</h2>
<p>Attempting to reduce the demand for new clothes is certainly going to be an important part of a more sustainable future. But what this ignores is the fact that the fashion industry is not a system that is about need. Rather, it is driven by desire, aspiration, gender politics and celebrity culture. Changing behaviour – by encouraging consumers to stop buying new things at all – would, to us, seem more immediately difficult and multifaceted than creating an alternative, aesthetically viable material solution.</p>
<p>But this does not seem to be reflected in most design attempts so far to create sustainable, circular fashion. Take the rise of “fair trade fashion” and organic cotton, for example. In our view, most of these purportedly sustainable alternatives do not seem to be able to tackle the complexity of the fashion system or the different components of it adequately. Organic cotton is still environmentally harmful and the price of “fair trade” fashion is often prohibitively expensive for many consumers. </p>
<p>Another recent design trend is the use of electronics and “<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299380509_Crafting_Smart_Textiles_-_a_meaningful_way_towards_societal_sustainability_in_the_fashion_field">smart materials</a>” to make garments interactive and more engaging, supposedly giving them longevity. But there is little research into how such textiles may be disposed of – and they are not likely to be cheap, either.</p>
<p>As such, we feel that materials that are already abundant in nature offer the best alternatives. Think of polylactic acid (PLA), a substance made from vegetable starch and already used to make biodegradable carrier bags but have the potential to be <a href="https://bioplasticsnews.com/2017/08/04/bio-sourced-biodegradable-pla-fibres-polyester-textiles/">developed into textiles</a>. Or Tencel and Lyocell, materials that are made from sustainable wood pulp and are already on the market. </p>
<p>Then there’s anything made from collagen, “animal protein” and a natural polymer, which although not so popular with vegans, has been developed into “<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/04/business/modern-meadow/index.html">Zoa</a>”, a luxury leather alternative by Modern Meadow, and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/20511787.2018.1449073">our own experiments</a> working with waste materials. Sustainable materials of this kind are what we should be focusing on.</p>
<h2>Mushroom materials</h2>
<p>Particularly exciting are the growing number of companies producing mushroom alternatives to packaging, building materials and leather. Stella McCartney, for example, is collaborating with Bolt Threads on a “Mylo” mushroom leather range of accessories. </p>
<p>There are several projects and companies working in this area and their outputs are diverse and inventive. Of particular note are <a href="https://www.mycoworks.com/">MycoWorks</a>, who have created “a new kind of leather grown rapidly from mycelium and agricultural by-products in a carbon-negative process”. They say that the material is sustainable, versatile, and animal–free. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/BqzrJ0AHXVf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p><a href="https://www.lifegate.com/people/lifestyle/muskin-leather-mushrooms">MuSkin</a>, another leather alternative, is made out of <em>Phellinus ellipsoideus</em>, a fungus that rots wood in subtropical forests. Meanwhile, <a href="https://ecovativedesign.com/textiles">Ecovative Design</a>, who started out making an alternative to plastic packaging but have branched out into creating leather and foam from mycelium. </p>
<p>And in a similar area – not using fungi but microbes – is leather made from the cellulosic scoby bacteria that is used in the making of kombucha tea. There are lots of companies experimenting with this technique, such as <a href="https://www.dezeen.com/2014/02/12/movie-biocouture-microbes-clothing-wearable-futures/">Biocouture</a>. This material, when dried out, looks like a clear, pale brown leather with a flexible plastic texture.</p>
<p>We have our own experience in this field: a couple of years ago we collaborated on an attempt to make a material out of mushrooms. We grew our material from the vegetable waste from a tuber-derived cellulose powder product made by a <a href="https://www.cellucomp.com/">company in Scotland</a>. We wanted to create a location-specific fungal material, differing from the other current projects mentioned.</p>
<p>Our initial samples looked and had the texture and appearance of furry burnt crisps: it was clear we weren’t going to grow jeans or undermine the denim industry in the short space of time we had. But this objective and passion for the possibilities of mycelium in this context has stayed with us, and we are not the only ones. </p>
<p>The benefits of growing a textile-like material from fungi or bacteria as opposed to cotton, man-made fabrics or worse still, blends such as “poly-cotton” are many. Fungi are naturally abundant in nature, quick to grow (on a range of waste materials) and their growth uses a lot less water than traditional textile manufacture. In theory, a fungal product is also completely biodegradable, can be strong, can be colourful, water repellent, can be edible, and can have medicinal properties. And the list <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI5frPV58tY">goes on</a>.</p>
<p>As a way to disrupt the fashion system as a whole, fungi or bacteria based textile alternatives might still be some way off. But while the over consumption and toxic wastefulness of the fashion and traditional textile industry continues, design in this area can also be seen as an act of environmental protest.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/122894/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sam Vettese works for The Scottish Leather Group (on a research project). She receives funding from Interface, The Scottish Leather Group and The Scottish Institute for Remanufacture. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ian Singleton receives funding from Interface. </span></em></p>
There is no solution to the unethical, unsustainable fashion industry – yet
Sam Vettese, Senior Lecturer in Applied Art and Design, Edinburgh Napier University
Ian Singleton, Professor in Environmental Microbiology, Edinburgh Napier University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/114388
2019-04-04T20:15:10Z
2019-04-04T20:15:10Z
‘Made in Van Phuc’: How place identity can help artisans survive in a globalised world
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266879/original/file-20190401-177171-1ints7z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3264%2C1817&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">An artisan is working with a silk weaving loom in her workshop</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The identity of luxury goods firms is often anchored in the creativity and skill of the artisans behind the objects. A case in point is Hermès, where workers spend years learning to work with precious materials such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/hermes-behind-the-scenes-of-the-frenchluxury-gem-80551">leather and silk</a>. This approach allows such companies to distinguish themselves and compete in a marketplace flooded with goods that cost less but don’t have an identity strongly connected to craft, tradition and place.</p>
<p>This approach isn’t the unique domain of just a few firms, of course – it can be extended to those that are currently less known and in more peripheral places. An eloquent example is the Vietnamese town of Van Phuc, in the Ha Dong (Hanoi) district, which has specialised in silk weaving since the 13th century. Establishing a strong place identity – how meanings attached to a locality can affect locals’ sense of self – was essential for their craftsmen to stand out from the crowd.</p>
<h2>Ancient traditions, “new” competitors</h2>
<p>Located approximately 10km from the centre of Hanoi, Van Phuc is considered the <a href="http://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/divers12-06/010055064.pdf">oldest and best-known silk-producing village in Vietnam</a>. During our research team’s initial fieldwork, we found that in boutiques where Van Phuc silk products were sold, there were similar goods made in China. Based on the products’ variety and price, distinguishing between the two was relatively easy, and because of the craft methods used by Van Phuc’s artisans, their offerings are often much more expensive than similar ones from China.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeWtFQNl9Wg&t=102s">report</a> on Van Phuc made by the national television broadcaster of Vietnam, a storekeeper in the village stated:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I sold a lot of Chinese silk products, compared to Van Phuc ones, because they are cheaper and there are a wide range of products.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>An experienced silk weaving artisan added:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Van Phuc’s silk patterns are not as diverse as Chinese ones because our products are made manually. Therefore our patterns are still very ‘naive’. There is something unmistakable.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>According to a local shop owner and artisan, the price of natural silk is around 1,700,000 dong per kilogram (approximately 73 US dollars) while the price of a kilogram of polyester yarn is about 50,000 to 60,000 dong per kilogram (2 to 3 dollars).</p>
<p>Van Phuc’s products are not only made of natural silk, but they also have traditional patterns created during a sophisticated weaving process. By comparison, foreign-made goods have printed patterns and made by polyester or polyester silk fabrics. The savoir-faire of each creation has been improved for one generation to another, guaranteeing high quality.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266682/original/file-20190331-71006-1u9keu2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266682/original/file-20190331-71006-1u9keu2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266682/original/file-20190331-71006-1u9keu2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=290&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266682/original/file-20190331-71006-1u9keu2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=290&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266682/original/file-20190331-71006-1u9keu2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=290&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266682/original/file-20190331-71006-1u9keu2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=364&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266682/original/file-20190331-71006-1u9keu2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=364&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266682/original/file-20190331-71006-1u9keu2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=364&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Several Van Phuc’s silk products with traditional patterns in a retail shop.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">The authors</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Still, appreciating handmade craft items and being able to pay for them is not easy for all consumers. Despite its strong place identity and the quality and creativity of its products, Van Phuc is at risk of losing ground.</p>
<p>In the village, silk fabrics and other silk products are directly sold at home-based workshops of craftsmen or retail stores, among which some are owned by artisans. Nevertheless, due to urbanisation, more and more craftsmen do not have enough space for silk weaving tools to produce their own products. The traditional silk workshops are at risk of disappearing, to be replaced by imported products from China sold at retail outlets.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266683/original/file-20190331-177181-17tyovx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266683/original/file-20190331-177181-17tyovx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266683/original/file-20190331-177181-17tyovx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=313&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266683/original/file-20190331-177181-17tyovx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=313&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266683/original/file-20190331-177181-17tyovx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=313&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266683/original/file-20190331-177181-17tyovx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266683/original/file-20190331-177181-17tyovx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266683/original/file-20190331-177181-17tyovx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Numerous retail shops in Van Phuc.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">The authors</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For the moment, Van Phuc silk products still have a stable customer base. They are often bought by <a href="http://ven.vn/van-phucs-silk-targets-world-market-24231.html">foreign tourists</a> who seek out unique Vietnamese products, or by Vietnamese who prefer to use high-quality domestic goods. Residents of Vietnam often go to Van Phuc workshops directly and choose the products they like instead of buying at eye-catching retail outlets in the village.</p>
<h2>Place and identity</h2>
<p>The story of craft products threatened by mass-produced goods is not a new one, and can appear everywhere. How to arrive at a long-term solution is the real question. In the case of Hermès, its identity is tightly linked to a place – it is not just “Hermès”, but <a href="https://theconversation.com/hermes-behind-the-scenes-of-the-french-luxury-gem-80551">“Hermès Paris”.</a> Here, the associated “memories, ideas, feelings, attitudes, values, preferences, meanings, and conceptions of behaviour and experience” play a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494483800218">huge role</a>. Indeed, the feeling of belonging to Paris, and French elegance in general, is a significant part of what attract clients to the goods.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267158/original/file-20190402-177181-179cow3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267158/original/file-20190402-177181-179cow3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267158/original/file-20190402-177181-179cow3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267158/original/file-20190402-177181-179cow3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267158/original/file-20190402-177181-179cow3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267158/original/file-20190402-177181-179cow3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267158/original/file-20190402-177181-179cow3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267158/original/file-20190402-177181-179cow3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Silk cloth with ‘Vạn Phúc silk’ woven into its edge.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://nld.com.vn/ban-doc/ve-dau-ao-lua-ha-dong-20130324014420373.htm">Thế Anh</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1470593112467268">place branding cannot be carried out for every geographic locality</a> – there’s only one Paris in the world, after all – Van Phuc’s artisans have recently perceived the importance of place identity, and on their products now feature the words “Van Phuc silk” or “Ha Dong silk”. This allows local artisans to distinguish themselves, affirm the high quality of Van Phuc’s traditional silk products, and gain or regain the confidence of Vietnamese consumers. This initial step also allows producers to “shine a light” on local products among numerous foreign ones, in particular after one of the biggest silk brands in Vietnam was found to be selling <a href="https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/business/20171213/vietnams-khaisilk-found-selling-products-with-zero-silk/43126.html">“silk” products with no silk at all</a>.</p>
<p>In the long term, if Van Phuc’s reputation can be expanded to a wider geographic scale – not just domestically but also internationally – their products will surely have a place (identity) in the market.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/114388/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>
Many major luxury goods firms have long made place a key part of their identity, and a visit to a traditional silk-weaving centre in Vietnam shows that the approach could work for small firms too.
Hung M. Nguyen, Postdoctoral researcher (ORCILAB project, ANR-17-CE10-0013-01), Grenoble École de Management (GEM)
Marcos Barros, Associate professor, Grenoble École de Management (GEM)
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/112047
2019-02-19T14:17:06Z
2019-02-19T14:17:06Z
Fixing our throwaway fashion culture will take far more than a 1p tax
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259685/original/file-20190219-43284-1r8r878.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/fashion-clothes-on-clothing-rack-bright-551997880?src=LGfjwe_05rxQZ0ZtD6likQ-1-1">Maridav/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Clothing in Britain is increasingly characterised by a high volume/low value approach to business. Judging by past precedent, consumers will discard some <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/apr/06/britons-expected-to-send-235m-items-of-clothing-to-landfill-this-spring">680m items of clothing</a> when they spring clean their wardrobes this year. Replacements are cheap: dresses can be <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6333001/Boohoo-named-shamed-Parliament-expert-says-5-dress-rubbish-charities-want.html">bought for as little as £5</a> from online retailers (indeed, a mere £3.75, reduced 25%, in Boohoo’s current sale).</p>
<p>Cheap prices are praised for providing wider access to consumers. Fashion retailers <a href="https://fashionunited.uk/news/retail/uk-retailers-defend-selling-cheap-clothes-in-sustainability-enquiry/2018112940224">argue</a> that they are a sign of efficiency. But there is a dark side.</p>
<p>A new <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/report-summary.html">report</a> from the Environmental Audit Committee enquiry into sustainable fashion reveals how consumers are only benefiting from cheap clothes at considerable cost to the environment and through exploitation of poor and vulnerable garment workers.</p>
<p>The environmental impact of fashion is well known. Cotton production uses <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800905005574">large amounts</a> of pesticides and water, while synthetic fibres such as polyester are derived from finite oil supplies. Bamboo, increasingly used as a cotton replacement, sounds pleasingly natural but is a semi-synthetic fibre, the production process of which involves the use of chemicals such as caustic soda. And while British consumers with an environmental conscience may feel less guilty as they take their unwanted garments to a charity store or vintage shop, many of these end up in landfill or incinerated because they cannot attract buyers – domestically or overseas.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259687/original/file-20190219-43270-1t5gx8p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259687/original/file-20190219-43270-1t5gx8p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259687/original/file-20190219-43270-1t5gx8p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259687/original/file-20190219-43270-1t5gx8p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259687/original/file-20190219-43270-1t5gx8p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259687/original/file-20190219-43270-1t5gx8p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259687/original/file-20190219-43270-1t5gx8p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The end of the runway.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/pile-old-clothes-shoes-dumped-on-1087055786?src=HUG7IRFEGwCya3aq2XAd7A-1-2">Srdjan Randjelovic/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The social impact of fashion <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12159-015-0121-8">similarly raises concern</a>. Evidence suggests that fashion companies do not yet monitor supply chains with such diligence that consumers can be sure that their purchases have not involved exploitation of the workforce. In Britain, many garment workers in Leicester are apparently being paid <a href="https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/business/research/impact/CSFour">less than the minimum wage</a>. Abroad, slave labour, child labour and poor working conditions persist, more than five years after the collapse of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/rana-plaza-5430">Rana Plaza</a> complex in Bangladesh left more than 1,100 garment workers dead.</p>
<p>In recent years, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (known as WRAP), which is supported largely by public funds and works closely with the fashion industry, has done an excellent job in promoting clothing sustainability. Its report <a href="http://www.wrap.org.uk/sustainable-textiles/valuing-our-clothes">Valuing our Clothes</a> provided a strong evidence base for action. It has warned government and industry of the environmental impact of a throwaway culture, producing <a href="http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/clothing-design-for-longevity">guidelines for designers</a> and a <a href="http://www.wrap.org.uk/cy/sustainable-textiles/scap/extending-clothing-life/guides/extending-clothing-life-protocol">protocol for companies</a> wanting to produce longer-lasting clothing.</p>
<p>But designing garments for longevity is pointless if they are discarded prematurely and merely add to the vast tonnage of clothing waste generated each year. Every garment that is produced contributes to the industry’s environmental impact. In a sustainable fashion culture, far fewer garments would be produced and, when no longer wearable, the materials would either be reused – for example, through upcycling, where unwanted clothes are redesigned into new items – or recycled. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259688/original/file-20190219-43255-an27v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259688/original/file-20190219-43255-an27v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259688/original/file-20190219-43255-an27v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259688/original/file-20190219-43255-an27v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259688/original/file-20190219-43255-an27v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259688/original/file-20190219-43255-an27v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259688/original/file-20190219-43255-an27v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Upcycled jeans.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/woman-jeans-bag-upcycling-idea-273149441?src=gcrs0F1nHMPFf7XcqL037w-1-2">Marius GODOI/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It is a vision that still appears a long way off. The Environmental Audit Committee’s <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/full-report.html">report</a>, however, offers hope.</p>
<h2>Fixing fashion</h2>
<p>Vast amounts of clothing is discarded and, currently, barely 1% is recycled. A <a href="http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Fibre_to_Fibre_report.pdf">recent study</a> highlighted the many obstacles to recycling that need to be overcome. The UK government’s <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/resources-and-waste-strategy-for-england">Resources and Waste Strategy</a> promised to review and consult on textile waste – but only by 2025, giving a strong indication that it does not regard the issue as a priority.</p>
<p>By contrast, the Environmental Audit Committee’s report proposes a “producer responsibility” scheme in which producers would pay a 1p charge per garment to improve clothing collection and recycling in order to address textile waste. Such a strategy is long overdue and, like all tax threats, inevitably attracted the most <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47282136">media headlines</a>. But the report proposes several other initiatives that could prove even more significant.</p>
<p>For example, noting that Sweden has reduced VAT on clothing repair services, the committee recommends a more general reform of taxes, suggesting that “the chancellor should use the tax system to shift the balance of incentives in favour of reuse, repair and recycling to support responsible companies”.</p>
<p>And it concludes that the voluntary approach represented by WRAP’s <a href="http://www.wrap.org.uk/sustainable-textiles/scap">Sustainable Clothing Action Plan</a>, which requires supporting companies to reduce their water, waste and carbon footprints, has had its day. Instead, it argues, such targets should be mandatory for all retailers with a turnover exceeding £36m.</p>
<p>A revival in lessons on designing, creating and repairing clothes in the school curriculum is also proposed: a much-needed return to what was once taught as home economics. Whether the government will have the courage to accept this challenge at the expense of STEM subjects will be interesting to see.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259689/original/file-20190219-43258-194ijcm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259689/original/file-20190219-43258-194ijcm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259689/original/file-20190219-43258-194ijcm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259689/original/file-20190219-43258-194ijcm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259689/original/file-20190219-43258-194ijcm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259689/original/file-20190219-43258-194ijcm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259689/original/file-20190219-43258-194ijcm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sewing lessons should be reintroduced into schools.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/angers-maine-et-loire-france-otober-1224588568?src=0nJQ_dgKsdB3Tothg2ay7w-1-28">Elena Chevalier/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Economic and educational measures are needed, because recycling does not address the fundamental problem of unsustainable levels of production and consumption in the clothing sector. WRAP’s <a href="http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/environmental-audit-committee/sustainability-of-the-fashion-industry/written/89003.pdf">evidence</a> to the committee revealed that improved production efficiency has reduced environmental impacts – but that these gains were more than offset by increased consumption.</p>
<p>The situation is especially bad in Britain. <a href="https://www.scotsman.com/business/companies/retail/uk-consumes-clothes-at-fastest-rate-in-europe-1-4810182">The Textile Recycling Association</a> reported in 2018 that British consumers purchase far more clothes than consumers in other European countries: more than 26kg each year, compared with 17.6kg in Germany, 14.5kg in Italy and 12.6kg in Sweden. </p>
<p>In short, companies produce too much and consumers buy too much. The sector is based on an outmoded and unsustainable business model and relies on insatiable consumer demand. </p>
<p>Thus the fashion industry produces <a href="https://www.redress.com.hk/updates/2017/10/20/what-happens-to-clothing-that-goes-unsold">more garments</a> than retailers are able to sell, while the secondhand market is unbalanced – with supply far exceeding demand. Meanwhile, wardrobes in Britain hold a vast surplus stock of garments, <a href="https://ciwm-journal.co.uk/23-of-londoners-wardrobes-are-unworn-equivalent-to-123m-items/">much of it unworn</a> because we lack repair and alteration skills.</p>
<p>The recent report contains many welcome proposals, but we need to go further. In Britain we consumed more than <a href="http://www.wrap.org.uk/sustainable-textiles/valuing-our-clothes">1.13m tonnes</a> of clothing in 2016, a significant increase compared with 2012. A target to halve this by 2030 would be an appropriate goal to focus people’s minds.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/112047/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tim Cooper is a past recipent of research grants from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.</span></em></p>
Consumers are only benefitting from cheap clothes at considerable cost to the environment and by exploitation of a poor, vulnerable garment workers.
Tim Cooper, Professor, Head of Sustainable Consumption Research Group, Nottingham Trent University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/106962
2019-02-15T11:18:22Z
2019-02-15T11:18:22Z
Interior design of the future will seem like magic
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258742/original/file-20190213-181619-7unjk6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/color-palette-guide-paint-samples-colored-557422801?src=gozdqSLTMJwySAj0_USy7Q-1-0">Bokeh Art Photo/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Imagine a house where the walls change colour depending on your mood, or your tablecloth changes shape when you’re having a dinner party. A house where every item, from your cushions to your lampshades, interact with you. This might sound like something out of Harry Potter, but such magic interior design could become a real part of our lives in the near future.</p>
<p>Many homes are already smart. <a href="https://www.statista.com/outlook/279/109/smart-home/united-states">Research from Statista</a> predicts that by the end of 2019, more than 45m smart home devices will be installed in US homes, and analysts predict that the smart home devices industry will reach <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-smart-home-market-2018-2023-with-profiles-of-honeywell-johnson--johnson-adt-control4-united-technologies-siemens-philips-acuity-brands-and-vivint-300596953.html">US$107.4 billion by 2023 globally</a>. One in four people in Britain own one or more <a href="https://yougov.co.uk/topics/technology/articles-reports/2018/08/10/almost-quarter-britons-now-own-one-or-more-smart-h">smart home devices</a>, such as smart speakers, thermostats and smart security, and the UK government has begun <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/smart-homes-to-help-older-and-disabled-people-get-digital-skills-and-tackle-loneliness-in-rural-areas">investing money</a> in teaching elderly and disabled people how to use smart tech in their homes.</p>
<p>But our view of smart homes tends to veer more on the side of sci-fi than cosiness. Most of us are likely to imagine our homes of the future as having clear glass walls and gadgets that anticipate our every need. A house where Alexa rules the roost. But what if the future smart home was more than gadgets, wires, and flashing lights? What if instead, we used technology to make the existing spaces around us more beautiful?</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258747/original/file-20190213-181599-1b0mxha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258747/original/file-20190213-181599-1b0mxha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258747/original/file-20190213-181599-1b0mxha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258747/original/file-20190213-181599-1b0mxha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258747/original/file-20190213-181599-1b0mxha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258747/original/file-20190213-181599-1b0mxha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258747/original/file-20190213-181599-1b0mxha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Kitchen magic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/using-holograms-handsome-young-cook-smiling-1163831491?src=uSNLa3BVVS829rDPy9stbA-1-1">Dmytro Zinkevych/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I see a near future when technology is literally weaved into the fabric of everyday objects, when interiors will be designed as interactive, and decorative objects will no longer be static. Technology can be more than a tool to help us become more productive or make our lives easier. It can enhance the spaces we live in. I call this blend between interior design and interaction design “interioraction”.</p>
<h2>How it works</h2>
<p>For my PhD, I’ve been working with Newcastle’s <a href="https://openlab.ncl.ac.uk/">Open Lab</a> and <a href="https://northlab.uk/">NORTH Lab</a> teams to create new types of interactive living objects that can be used in interior designs. We use thermochromic fabric which changes colour, SMA wires which move and crumple, and e-textiles for seamless sensing.</p>
<p>We create decorative objects that will shift and change depending on how they are interacted with, instead of remaining static in the home. Take, for example, a dinner party – what if instead of a normal table runner, you had one that changed depending on touch and physical interaction with tableware around it. Such changes include not just the pattern, colour and texture of the fabric, but also its shape and form. Dinner guests would delight as the table runner moves and morphs among them, making their dining experience even more special and memorable. This is just the beginning of what is possible with decorative objects – that could soon be interacting with each other, with us and with the environment.</p>
<p>You don’t need imagine such a thing: <a href="https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=3196709.3196761">we have already created one</a>. When we tested it with people in a live setting, many became curious of the object. Some began to pet it, treating it as if it were alive. Check it out in this <a href="https://youtu.be/g7Tp-a1X804">video</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258746/original/file-20190213-181589-jr1017.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258746/original/file-20190213-181589-jr1017.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258746/original/file-20190213-181589-jr1017.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258746/original/file-20190213-181589-jr1017.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258746/original/file-20190213-181589-jr1017.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258746/original/file-20190213-181589-jr1017.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258746/original/file-20190213-181589-jr1017.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Meet the ActuEater.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sara Nabil</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Such decorative objects recreate themselves, standing out from the background of our homes. We would no longer suffer from display blindness, not noticing the beautiful artwork in our homes after staring at it for too long. Each day, a vase might shift, or our paintings change.</p>
<p>I envision a future where you can change the pattern of your sofa at a whim much as you would swipe your screen on a smartphone, or make the towels look that little bit posher for when your in-laws make a surprise visit.</p>
<h2>Positives and negatives</h2>
<p>These decorative objects could do more than just move around to delight those around us. Your bedroom could change depending on whether it’s morning or night – go to sleep in a cosy warm room, and awake to a fresh space that eases you into the morning. It could be linked up to anything from the moods of your friends or even the heartbeat of long-distance partner.</p>
<p>These spaces could also have practical applications – we could create classrooms that change based on activities. Different colours are known to have <a href="https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=3024981">different psychological effects</a> – what teacher wouldn’t love to have a room that could help calm down a bunch of rambunctious five-year-olds?</p>
<p>Of course, there could be a dark side to this type of technology – we would need to rethink a number of ethical, social and legal challenges, most notably inhabitants’ privacy and the use of their personal data. Considering the latest GDPR changes, maybe ten years from now you might need to sign an explicit consent to sit on your host’s couch while visiting. </p>
<p>Because if interactive interiors become part of our homes, log and respond to our preferences, behaviours and psychological or physiological data, we might soon need new kinds of safeguard and consent for entering rooms or even for living with everyday objects such as a new hallway rug. To imagine such consequences, I’ve authored four <a href="https://www.springer.com/gb/book/9783319708744">dystopian fiction stories</a> about the potential implications of personal data use in future smart homes.</p>
<p>Over the course of <a href="https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=3064745">my research</a> I’ve worked with architects, interior designers and artists, building fully interactive interiors in public spaces, galleries and museums – including <a href="https://saranabil.com/pages/ImmersiveHive.html">a human-scale beehive</a> for the Bees Exhibition held last year at the Great North Museum, Newcastle UK.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258983/original/file-20190214-1721-1gmn957.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258983/original/file-20190214-1721-1gmn957.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=284&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258983/original/file-20190214-1721-1gmn957.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=284&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258983/original/file-20190214-1721-1gmn957.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=284&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258983/original/file-20190214-1721-1gmn957.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258983/original/file-20190214-1721-1gmn957.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258983/original/file-20190214-1721-1gmn957.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The immersive hive.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Sara Nabil</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The human-sized hive was designed as a sticky and multi-sensory experience where people could wander about and interact with its soft pollen and honey-sticky hexagons, embedded with seamless touch-sensitivity and audio feedback, and learn about the mysterious life inside the beehive.</p>
<p>You may not want to live in a life-sized beehive, but with this new type of research and technology a whole new way of living could be possible. Many people fantasise about the magic of Harry Potter. They dream of the moving paintings and staircases. This magic could, someday soon, be real, and in true Hogwarts style – you won’t see the wires, you’ll just feel the magic.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/106962/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sara Nabil receives funding from Newcastle University under the Doctoral Training Award (SAgE DTA) scholarship program.</span></em></p>
Many homes are already smart – but they’re about to get much smarter.
Sara Nabil, PhD Candidate, Newcastle University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/91325
2018-02-07T19:06:14Z
2018-02-07T19:06:14Z
Explainer: the symbolism of The Lady and the Unicorn tapestry cycle
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205015/original/file-20180206-14100-1j179ta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Detail of 'Smell' c1500, from The lady and the unicorn series
wool and silk, 368 x 322 cm
Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge, Paris
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo © RMN-GP / M Urtado</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The arrival of The Lady and the Unicorn tapestry cycle at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from February 10 presents a rare opportunity to see a work of art revered by specialists and enthusiasts alike. It has been called everything from the “Mona Lisa of the Middle Ages”, to “a national treasure of France”. Comprising six individual pieces and made around the year 1500, tapestries of such quality are rare, and few examples survive.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205025/original/file-20180206-14067-ig0p5q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205025/original/file-20180206-14067-ig0p5q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205025/original/file-20180206-14067-ig0p5q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=703&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205025/original/file-20180206-14067-ig0p5q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=703&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205025/original/file-20180206-14067-ig0p5q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=703&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205025/original/file-20180206-14067-ig0p5q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=883&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205025/original/file-20180206-14067-ig0p5q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=883&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205025/original/file-20180206-14067-ig0p5q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=883&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Smell’ c1500, from The lady and the unicorn series.
wool and silk, 368 x 322 cm
Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge, Paris</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo © RMN-GP / M Urtado</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Materially, they are breathtaking. Their elaborate millefleur (“thousand flowers”) backgrounds form hypnotic patterns. The sumptuous stuff from which they are woven – wool and silk, dyed with rich, natural dyes – insulate the beholder (literally part of their original function.) They muffle sound, creating an atmosphere of quiet mediation. The air is stilled, and light is enriched by their surfaces, generating a transcendental aura that draws the beholder into their complex internal universe.</p>
<p>The cycle first came to public attention in the middle of the 19th century, discovered languishing in the decaying château de Boussac, located in central France. Gnawed at by rats and threatened by the dank conditions, they were rescued by the <a href="http://www.musee-moyenage.fr/">musée de Cluny</a> in 1882, bought for the princely sum of 25,500 francs.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205022/original/file-20180206-14089-1pdefq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205022/original/file-20180206-14089-1pdefq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205022/original/file-20180206-14089-1pdefq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=623&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205022/original/file-20180206-14089-1pdefq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=623&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205022/original/file-20180206-14089-1pdefq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=623&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205022/original/file-20180206-14089-1pdefq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=783&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205022/original/file-20180206-14089-1pdefq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=783&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205022/original/file-20180206-14089-1pdefq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=783&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Touch’ c1500, from The lady and the unicorn series.
wool and silk, 373 x 358 cm
Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge, Paris</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo © RMN-GP / M Urtado</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The amount paid by the Cluny museum would have represented just a fraction of the original cost of their production, however. Tapestries of such quality would have commanded more than the annual income of all but the richest members of the nobility. More than a battleship. Far more than Michelangelo was paid to paint the Sistine ceiling.</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly then, the patron of the cycle came from a noble family with close ties to the French monarchy – the Le Viste. This is made clear from the heraldic symbols shown in the tapestries themselves. They were most likely <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/taps/hd_taps.htm">designed</a> by the “Master of Anne of Brittany” (so called because he designed a <a href="http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b52500984v/f14.item.zoom">book of hours</a> for the French queen, Anne of Brittany), a preeminent artist of the day.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205027/original/file-20180206-14089-q0fvid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205027/original/file-20180206-14089-q0fvid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205027/original/file-20180206-14089-q0fvid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205027/original/file-20180206-14089-q0fvid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205027/original/file-20180206-14089-q0fvid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205027/original/file-20180206-14089-q0fvid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205027/original/file-20180206-14089-q0fvid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205027/original/file-20180206-14089-q0fvid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Detail of ‘Taste’ c1500, from The lady and the unicorn series.
wool and silk, 377 x 466 cm
Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge, Paris</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo © RMN-GP / M Urtado</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Though we might fixate on the artist who designed the composition, tapestries were made collaboratively, and the Lady and the Unicorn cycle was probably woven in the Southern Netherlands, not France, for the standard of weaving was higher there.</p>
<p>Given the effort and investment required to produce them, it is little surprise that the subject of the tapestries is complex – something worthy of more than a mere glance. The meaning of the cycle has been much debated. Experts now (generally) agree that they present a meditation on earthly pleasures and courtly culture, offered through an allegory of the senses.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205024/original/file-20180206-14104-19mms7i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205024/original/file-20180206-14104-19mms7i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205024/original/file-20180206-14104-19mms7i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205024/original/file-20180206-14104-19mms7i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205024/original/file-20180206-14104-19mms7i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205024/original/file-20180206-14104-19mms7i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205024/original/file-20180206-14104-19mms7i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205024/original/file-20180206-14104-19mms7i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Detail of ‘Taste’ c1500, from The lady and the unicorn series.
wool and silk, 377 x 466 cm
Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge, Paris</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo © RMN-GP / M Urtado</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Five of the tapestries each depict one of the senses (Touch, Taste, Smell, Hearing and Sight.) Each shows a woman (the “Lady” of the title) performing some action intended to exemplify the sense in question. In “Smell” the Lady is presented with a dish of carnations. In ‘Hearing’ she plays at an organ. In “Sight”, she holds a mirror, which reflects the image of a unicorn that rests in her lap.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205017/original/file-20180206-14083-1h8i2e1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205017/original/file-20180206-14083-1h8i2e1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205017/original/file-20180206-14083-1h8i2e1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205017/original/file-20180206-14083-1h8i2e1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205017/original/file-20180206-14083-1h8i2e1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=721&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205017/original/file-20180206-14083-1h8i2e1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=721&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205017/original/file-20180206-14083-1h8i2e1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=721&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Sight’ c1500, from The lady and the unicorn series.
wool and silk, 312 x 330 cm
Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge, Paris</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo © RMN-GP / M Urtado</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Each of these gestures is presented with much charm and grace, conveyed through gently curving lines that show no sharp transitions. Yet, all is not as peaceful as it may seem. For there is a sixth tapestry. Though it is clear that all six are meant to form a unit, as each displays the same basic format and figures, the sixth work breaks the pattern of the other five.</p>
<p>Here, the Lady is depicted returning jewels (worn in the other tapestries) to a casket. She stands before a tent emblazoned with the words Mon Seul Désir (“my only desire”.) Her action does not connect with sensory or empirical experience, as with the other five, but is instead driven by some alternate force – cognition, moral reasoning, or emotion.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205014/original/file-20180206-14100-6k8coo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205014/original/file-20180206-14100-6k8coo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205014/original/file-20180206-14100-6k8coo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205014/original/file-20180206-14100-6k8coo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205014/original/file-20180206-14100-6k8coo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205014/original/file-20180206-14100-6k8coo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=620&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205014/original/file-20180206-14100-6k8coo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=620&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205014/original/file-20180206-14100-6k8coo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=620&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Mon Seul Desir’ c1500, from The lady and the unicorn series.
wool and silk, 377 x 473 cm. Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge, Paris</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo © RMN-GP / M Urtado</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A sixth sense</h2>
<p>A sixth sense is represented in this sixth tapestry, which presents a further way of knowing the world. This sense seems to have not one, but multiple dimensions. Intellectually, it may be thought of as common sense, or “internal” sense. Morally, it may be understood to encapsulate neo-platonic philosophy’s emphasis on the soul as the source of beauty (read the “good”.) In terms of courtly rhetoric, the sixth sense may be thought of as the heart, the source of courtly love and the home of complex or competing forces – free will, carnal passion, desire.</p>
<p>It is this sixth sense that leads the Lady to return her jewels to her casket. The gesture may be read as a sign of her virtue, an expression of the dominance of her reason over the physical sensations she experiences in the other tapestries, or, of the will as the centre of being. In this interpretation, the phrase Mon Seul Désir could be read not as “my sole desire” but “by my own free will”.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205021/original/file-20180206-14096-xysce4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205021/original/file-20180206-14096-xysce4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205021/original/file-20180206-14096-xysce4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205021/original/file-20180206-14096-xysce4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205021/original/file-20180206-14096-xysce4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205021/original/file-20180206-14096-xysce4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205021/original/file-20180206-14096-xysce4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205021/original/file-20180206-14096-xysce4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Detail of ‘Mon Seul Desir’ c1500, from The lady and the unicorn series.
wool and silk, 377 x 473 cm
Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge, Paris</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo © RMN-GP / M Urtado</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This multi-layered approach to interpreting the tapestries is echoed in other, localised features. For instance, the unicorn, which is represented in all six tapestries, embodies various, overlapping meanings. Unicorns were common heraldic animals, and frequently appear in courtly literature. Since the second century they were understood to represent chastity or purity. Certainly, this meaning connects with the reading of the Mon Seul Désir tapestry offered above.</p>
<p>The unicorn also acts as a canting emblem – that is, a pun on the name of the patron. Le Viste may be pronounced more like “Le Vite” in French, meaning fast. Fast, like a unicorn.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205019/original/file-20180206-14089-9f21am.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205019/original/file-20180206-14089-9f21am.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205019/original/file-20180206-14089-9f21am.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205019/original/file-20180206-14089-9f21am.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205019/original/file-20180206-14089-9f21am.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205019/original/file-20180206-14089-9f21am.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205019/original/file-20180206-14089-9f21am.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Detail of ‘Sight’ c1500, from The lady and the unicorn series.
wool and silk, 312 x 330 cm
Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge, Paris</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo © RMN-GP / M Urtado</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The inclusion of the unicorn also contributes to the sense that the tapestries intentionally encourage a viewer to evaluate types of knowledge or understanding. Representations of unicorns (both past and present, it could be argued) raise questions regarding how we come to know, and how empirical knowledge exists alongside tradition, culture, imagination, and creative expression.</p>
<p>More than a series of objects with remarkable aesthetic, historical and economic significance, the Lady and The Unicorn tapestries offer an opportunity to confront how different forms of understanding and experience overlap to form beliefs, shape perspectives, and precipitate action. </p>
<p><em>The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries will be at <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/the-lady-and-the-unicorn/">the Art Gallery of NSW from February 10 to 24 June</a>. The gallery is mounting a <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/the-lady-and-the-unicorn/related-events/">series of programs</a> around the tapestries.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91325/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark De Vitis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, woven around 1500, have been called the ‘Mona Lisa of the Middle Ages’. While they make for breathtaking viewing, their threads are encoded with much meaning.
Mark De Vitis, Lecturer in Art History , University of Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/65065
2016-09-07T15:31:59Z
2016-09-07T15:31:59Z
Loss of Fabric nightclub is latest blow to London’s cultural capital
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136920/original/image-20160907-25253-3jgbc7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabric_(club)#/media/File:Crowd_and_laser.jpg">Fabric/Wikipedia</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini shut down Tehran’s coffee houses. They were places where conversations about poetry, film and literature took place, where women mixed with men who weren’t their husbands, and where alternative political movements formed. But, because of this, they were viewed as deviant social spaces that had the potential to give rise to dissidents, and so were quickly closed by the ultra-conservative Khomeini. The closure of these coffee shops changed the face of the city and the country’s politics by removing the possibility of alternative counter-cultures and the political movements they could have formed.</p>
<p>Something akin to this has been taking place in London. Britain’s Conservative government is a far cry from Iran’s Islamic Republic, but it has allowed a similar wipe out of spaces across the country that play host to counter culture. The announcement that Fabric nightclub will lose its licence and be forced to <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/37293705/culture-of-drugs-at-londons-fabric-nightclub-causes-licence-to-be-revoked">shut permanently</a> is the latest example. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/07/london-nightclub-fabric-close-permanently-licence-revoked-drugs">Fabric’s licence was revoked</a> following the <a href="http://www.factmag.com/2016/09/07/fabric-loses-license/">drug-related deaths of two people</a>. The decision has caused outcry among the great and the good of London’s cultural scene. More than 150,000 have <a href="https://www.change.org/p/save-london-s-nightlife-stop-the-closure-of-fabric">signed a petition to save the club</a> and social media is abuzz with potential protests. </p>
<p>Some have argued that the decision is a massive <a href="http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/as-fabric-closes-indefinitely-here-s-why-drug-testing-should-be-available-at-all-uk-clubs?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social">over-reaction</a>, while others see it as the latest decision in what is the rampant <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/fabric-closed-shut-down-appeal-reopen-campaign-operation-lenor-and-the-real-reason-fabric-was-shut-a7229541.html">gentrification of the city</a>, and the subsequent destruction of key cultural icons. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"771041922634936324"}"></div></p>
<p>These arguments are valid. But the decision to close the club is also part of a broader, far less tangible (but no less obvious) atmosphere of shutting down sites of counter-culture.</p>
<h2>Space for subculture</h2>
<p>Spaces where like-minded people can come together to express a particular subculture or political message have been a defining characteristic of the modern metropolis. Opium dens in Paris in the early 20th century, speakeasies in New York in the 1930s, squat raves in Manchester in the 90s, and Tehran’s coffee houses, to name just a few. The conflicting politics of cities have always produced “safe” spaces for counter-culture. </p>
<p>They have been “safe” because people can do things like talk about revolution and generally escape from the perceived mundane routine of modern life. They are all part of the much-celebrated rich and varied cultural capital of modern global cities that exist alongside more traditional forms of cultural consumption, such as museums, galleries or the theatre.</p>
<p>Fabric has been one of these important counter-cultural spaces since 1999. But no more.</p>
<p>Fabric was an electronic music venue that shaped <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/feb/23/acid-house-dawn-rave-new-world">rave subculture</a>. But more than that, Fabric was an iconic venue where people came together to escape the self-absorbed, competitive and market-driven worlds of their nine-to-five jobs and engage in social experiences that were the exact opposite. It allowed social interaction between groups that would <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/36311595/the-elderly-couple-who-went-clubbing-at-fabric-until-5am">otherwise be unlikely to come together</a>, dancing with strangers and creating a mass of people moving to the music. These spaces give rise to political possibilities, too, because they allow discussions and experiences of alternative and subversive politics to flourish.</p>
<p>Fabric’s battle to stay open has similarities with a famous skate spot on London’s South Bank, which was <a href="https://theconversation.com/southbank-skaters-victory-shows-grassroots-culture-still-worth-fighting-for-31926">saved from demolition in September 2014</a>. The site was under threat from development into generic retail outlets. But because it championed the counter-cultural, alternative and subversive politics of skateboarding, saving the site was critical because losing it would have dramatically reduced the cultural capital of London forever.</p>
<h2>City for sale</h2>
<p>The influx of vast amounts of money into London from the super-rich means that no part of the city is safe from being sold off and turned into luxury flats or identikit shopping malls. Housing, retail and social services are all being hawked by cash-strapped local councils, but in doing so, many of London’s key cultural icons are being lost forever (<a href="http://www.thelondonmagazine.co.uk/property-experts/expert-opinions/gentrification-wars.aspx">Battersea Power Station</a> and <a href="https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/oli-mould/%25E2%2580%2598love-where-you-live%25E2%2580%2599-and-other-lies-of-gentrification">Earls Court</a> to name just two). </p>
<p>When places like Fabric disappear – places that allow particular subcultures to flourish and alternative forms of politics to be forged – the damage is even more telling as they destroy the very possibility of subcultures forming in the first place. Hence, the richness and diversity of London’s cultural capital suffers.</p>
<p>The closure of Fabric is a huge black mark against London’s current “redevelopment” craze. Like Tehran in the 1980s, if London continues along this path of destroying its iconic counter-cultural sites, all that will be left is an empty shell of a city that has no real culture at all.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65065/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Oli Mould does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The closure of one of London’s most famous clubs is part of a bigger and more worrying trend in the city.
Oli Mould, Lecturer in Human Geography, Royal Holloway University of London
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.