The Repertory Grid as a Tool for Dialog about Emotional Value of Textiles

Abstract

ABSTRACTIt is not rare that textile designers experience a need to explain or discuss decisions made during the design process. This article draws on the Fabric as Upholstery Workshop, which explored the Repertory Grid, an interview technique, as a tool for structuring a dialog about emotional value of applied textiles. Originally developed as a one-to-one interview technique, the article additionally introduces the Repertory Grid as a tool for dialog between groups of people. The discussion is based on three examples from the workshop, demonstrating ways in which the Repertory Grid encourages the participants to articulate and have a dialog about emotional aspects of textiles. It is exemplified how the procedure of a Repertory Grid can serve as a tool for dialog in the sense that it enables a group of participants to establish a common platform for dialog, achieve an in-depth dialog, and refine the dialog to concentrate on emotional aspects of the experience. In order to argue for the assumed potential of applying the rules and procedures of the Repertory Grid to the dialog about emotional value of applied textiles the statements and arguments made throughout the article is finally explored and connected to the traditional use of the Repertory Grid, the notion of reflection-in-action and the connection between surface texture and emotional value.