A research project on e-textile circuits and soft interfaces for making noise with electronics, Stitch Synth is motivated by the hidden history of women in electronics (and electronic music, and more) and the potential for e-textiles to develope new ways of making electronic circuits, and new ways to interact with them.
A research project on e-textile circuits and soft interfaces for making noise with electronics, Stitch Synth is motivated by the hidden history of women in electronics (and electronic music, and more) and the potential for e-textiles to develop new ways of making electronic circuits, and new ways to interact with them.
@@ -47,9 +47,22 @@ For a detailed log of how the project was developed:
* The [Implications and Applications assignment](https://class.textile-academy.org/2019/jessica.stanley/assignments/week10/) goes through how and why this topic was chosen.
* In the [project diary](https://class.textile-academy.org/2019/jessica.stanley/projects/project_diary/summary/) there's a detailed record of each week's research, prototyping, and tools/machines used.
To be added:
- information about design (squares because zero wate)
- something about expressiveness of sensors compared to traditional instruments
# Notes on Design
## Zero (ish) Waste Design
Over the course of Fabricademy I learned a lot about zero waste / sustainable design, and got to work alongside lots of interesting people making real progress in this area. So while sustainable fashion isn't my main area of focus, it did inform how I made Stitch Synth
* Stitch Synth's modules are square, which means they can be cut out of a piece of fabric without leaving awkwardly shaped leftover parts. It's also possible to arrange all the modules into one big square to be laser cut out of one piece with minimal waste
* To achieve loops and curved patterns, I used thread instead of laser cutting curved fabric strips. This means I only used as much thread as needed, and again didn't have leftover scraps in unusable shapes.
## Expressive Electronics
Stitch Synth is played by touch, but in a more expressive way than, say, twisting a dial or pressing a key. Soft interfaces that can be stroked or squeezed are, I think, a new avenue for electronics that may become more popular as we start truly 'wearing' electronics on the body.
## Why not a wearable synth?
Although I'm really interested in the wearable potential of e-textiles, and wearing an instrument on the body opens up new possibilities for how it can be played, I also have a background in public engagement with art/science, and I've seen how artwoks and installations can be more intimidating to people if you have to put them on first (and also be the centre of attention while wearing and playing it). So to keep the barrier to engagement as low as possible, for this project I decided to keep it off the body. But for future projects I do hope to make wearable synths ☉‿⊙
# Thanks
Big thanks to the Fabricademy coordinators - Cecilia, Anastasia and Fiore, and Teresa, Wendy, Stephanie and Irene in our Amsterdam class. And also everyone at Fablam Amsterdam who helped me and taught me new things during Fabricademy, and friends and family who gave me advice or just listened to me talk endlessly about electronics ◔ᴗ◔
