As a designer, if you develop a great idea you know that you will be able to apply it to different products and areas of your practice.
A good idea with a lot of potential is indeed not a trend, but something timeless that won't go out of fashion in 3 months' time. Amsterdam-based Dutch designer Antoine Peters knows this very well and so he recently opted to explore again the possibility of his lenticular designs in a different medium.
In 2013 Peters developed a lenticular dress that featured a special pleated pattern: when the wearer moved, you got the impression that the print on the dress mutated and the polka dots turned to stripes and viceversa.
Peters continued experimenting with the technique hoping one day to develop a proper textile. An extensive research that lasted one year and a half followed. In this time the designer produced more samples and a series of lenticular dresses and he has now finished his "Lenticular Weave".
To be showcased at the "Things That Matter" event (Microlab Hall) during Dutch Design Week (16 - 24 October, Eindhoven, The Netherlands), this textile is a sort of innovative tapestry that changes when viewed from different angles.
The piece was developed by Peters in collaboration with EE Exclusives, a producer of high-detailed custom jacquard woven fabrics for unique wall coverings, haute couture fashion (they have worked for Viktor & Rolf and Walter Van Beirendonck among the others), interior design and art projects, known for its woven products made combining high-tech machines with craftsmanship and 3D weaving techniques.
In a mini-documentary by filmmaker Ezra Bijleveld, Peters explains his research and the visual and kinetic possibilities of the new textile.
In a way the tapestry that will be on display during the Dutch Design Week, with its Cubist face, could be interpreted as a large sampler, integrating various motifs to show viewers what can be achieved with this technique.
The textile incorporates indeed a closing eye, an arrow changing direction and a sad face turning into a happy smile; a black section hides a myriad of colours, while straight lines become waves.
According to Peters, this textile could be applied to a variety of fields and disciplines: it could be used for walls and room dividers to reduce reverberation and improve acoustics while giving a dynamic touch to the room with its kinetic motifs; but it could be employed for interior design pieces as well such as cushions and poufs and, obviously, in clothes and accessories. The development of product- or site-specific made-to-measure designs would also be possible on request.
At the same time, Peters hopes this will not be just another commercial product: the main purpose of his designs has always been to make people smile, but the emphasis now seems to make them smile in a more contemplative and slower way, prompting them to observe things carefully by changing their perspective.
To appreciate the qualities of this textile piece at the Dutch Design Week, visitors will have to go on a journey of discovery, walking in front of the tapestry several times to pay attention to all the details.
Peters believes that when everybody slows down a little - by being forced to look, feel or think twice - the things we do or say contain more empathy and awareness.
In this case slowing down will also allow visitors to understand that good things come to those who work hard, research and experiment to create magically innovative designs.
Last but not least, Peters also hopes the piece will stimulate reactions and interactions in viewers: the 3D weave can indeed influence the space or a person's emotion or mood and could therefore be employed not just for commercial products, but also for art and architecture installations and applications with a social twist about them.
Comments