record

Thesis Info

LABS ID
00938
Thesis Title
Apprenticeship 2.0: Crafting with Hybrid Textiles in Virtual Reality
Author
Bolor Amgalan
2nd Author
3rd Author
Degree
MFA Design and Technology
Year
2020
Number of Pages
55
University
The New School
Thesis Supervisor
Harpreet Sareen
Supervisor e-mail
singhh AT newschool.edu
Other Supervisor(s)
Anezka Sebek, Loretta Wolozin, Anna Harsanyi
Language(s) of Thesis
English
Department / Discipline
School of Art, Media and Technology/Design and Technology department
Languages Familiar to Author
English, Mongolian, Russian
URL where full thesis can be found
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1cCfd9s2ps3QD0sL-Ytwz8oy3-JKvkqa6?usp=sharing
Keywords
hybrid craft, virtual reality, yarn simulation, textiles, embodied interaction, creativity support tool
Abstract: 200-500 words
Today, a long list of heritage craft techniques are either extinct or listed as critically endangered. Yet it is now more important than ever to take pride in human abilities and direct inevitable technological change to support human creativity and craftsmanship. Although the clothing and textile industries were at the forefront of the industrial revolution starting with the first steam-powered cotton mill in Nottinghamshire in 1786, today these industries have become notorious for underpaid work, unsafe work environments and their devastating impact on the environment. Additionally, as VR/AR/XR technologies proliferate, true sense of embodiment still needs further development to advance the field. Set against this backdrop, Apprenticeship 2.0 manifests in the form of an embodied learning tool that can be likened to a new form of craft apprenticeship inspired by existing textile crafts. It is a digital design tool and a handcrafting experience in VR that uses particle-based simulated yarn with hybrid material properties. The virtual yarn reacts to gravity, stretches and deforms based on how the user’s hands (tracked with Leap Motion Controller) manipulate the material. Designed to accurately capture both the perfections and imperfections resulting from the human hands, Apprenticeship 2.0 applies the emergent interdependencies between textile making and computer simulation to the novel process of augmented handcrafting. Occupying the space at the intersection of human-machine symbiosis and embodied learning, the project places Homo faber – man as the maker – at the heart of human becoming. In this experience, time and material know-how were two primary considerations for creating opportunities to instill in the apprentice intrinsic values attained through craftsmanship – the enduring commitment and desire to do a job well for its own sake and awareness of resource limitations. By enabling the apprentice to leverage the benefits of computation and at the same time the creative possibilities of handcrafting in virtual reality, this experience aims to accomplish two things: 1. To reimagine the concept of craft by investigating craft and technology junctures as possible seeds for craft innovation; and 2. To demonstrate the possibilities of human-machine symbiosis through a proof-of-concept prototype showcasing how human hand skills and technology can coexist in ways that preserve human culture, material know-how and natural resources.