Emergent behaviour as a forming strategy in craft: The workmanship of risk applied to industrial-loom weaving

Abstract

Digital tools such as computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) have expanded the nature of craft practice, offering new means of design and making. However, in weaving, handmaking continues to be privileged, despite the acceptance of digital design and computer-controlled lifting mechanisms. Through experimental design research methods, self-forming three-dimensional textiles were designed in CAD software and woven on a computer-controlled jacquard power loom (a CAM tool). The textiles’ three dimensionality arises from the combination of materials (contrasting shrinking and stiff yarns), structure and finishing. They are contextualized as craft objects through Pye’s concept of ‘the workmanship of risk’. As outcomes of a craft process, they illustrate the potential of industrial looms as tools for producing complex textile systems and expressions. The results include a method for crafting at the intersection of the workmanship of risk and CAD/CAM, providing a framework for this hybrid practice. The concept of emergent behaviour is discussed as a craft strategy when the workmanship of risk is focused on material forming rather than the tool or technique. This concept is contextualized beyond weaving, suggesting its applicability to other craft fields and practices, whether produced by hand or with the use of digital tools.