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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Jane Scott
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Design education in the UK is under threat. Research conducted by the Crafts Council has identified a significant decline in both A Level and GCSE art and design subject entries since 2010. For textile design this has led to falling student numbers and a reduction in skilled graduates. This is significant. Textiles are ubiquitous; from the macro scale of the geotextiles that support national infrastructure, to the microscale of implantable medical devices, textiles encompasses a lot more than clothing. This requires an understanding of not only the fundamental properties of textile materials, but also the production strategies to design and make in 2D and 3D. This research presents a design intervention developed to respond to this educational challenge. Working with the Crafts Council’s Make Your Future programme, and directly with schools in Yorkshire, researchers at the University of Leeds developed and implemented a project designed to engage with the opportunities offered by a creative curriculum. Using knitting as a tool for designing and making across a variety of scales, the project worked with teachers, pupils and school management to reposition textiles as a vehicle to respond to global challenges. Specific approaches applied biomimicry to the design of complex forms and considered new applications of colour theory as a means to respond to the environmental problems of textile colouration. Outcomes of the project have been significant. The team worked directly with sixteen schools and delivered workshops in five schools within the Yorkshire region during 2018-2019. The paper reflects on the impact of this intervention for pupils, teachers, school management and the wider community and considers how this experience can lead to lasting change in education. The ambition of this work is not only to re-skill school pupils and teachers in specific textile making processes, but also to renew the opportunities for design and craft education as a means to develop creative thinking and essential problem solving abilities for all pupils.
Author(s): Scott J, Gaston E, Dennington Z
Editor(s): Rodgers PA
Publication type: Book Chapter
Publication status: Published
Book Title: Design Research for Change
Year: 2019
Pages: 355-371
Print publication date: 12/12/2019
Acceptance date: 17/08/2019
Publisher: Lancaster University
Place Published: Lancaster UK
Library holdings: Search Newcastle University Library for this item
ISBN: 9781862203693
