Maxime Willing Y4
Woven Futures. The project is concerned with the revival of vernacular craft traditions in both textiles and architec-ture through the provision of a holistic environment in which people can be taught the local arts of dyeing in woad, and the fabrication and printing of cotton products. Architecturally, this is achieved through the study and application of Gottfried Semper’s ‘Bekleidung Theory’, or ‘Principle of Dressing’, which describes the interwoven relationship between the manufacture of textiles and the origin of architecture.
A holistic environment designed to provide the people of Geneva with a building that changes in appearance with time and use, the architecture taking on the characteristic blue from the dyeing of textiles in the same manner that an artisans hands change with work. Ornamentation developed from the Swiss vernacular process of ‘sgraffito’ is used as the vehicle for this layering of colour.
Experimentation through model making has been a key part of the design process, with one of the primary themes explored being the permeation of dye through porous solids such as concrete and timber. The graduations and layering of colour seen through these models explores the relation-ship between use and legacy. A tapestry of interwoven blues that penetrates the structure of the project, signifying the lifespan of the materials used.
Architecturally this scheme attempts to change in appearance with time and use, taking on the characteristic blue from the dyeing of textiles in the same manner that an artisans hands change with work. Ornamentation developed from the Swiss vernacular process of ‘sgraffito’ is used as the vehicle for this gradual build-up of colour in the interior and exterior of the building.