Katie Dygon

Fabrication

Making patterns through generative design, recreating them in other e-textiles and technologies, for the surface design of women's clothing.

Through the time I’ve spent at Montserrat I tried to learn as many different disciplines as I could with the end goal of bringing them together some way. I have been most interested lately in creating patterns and looking at unconventional materials used in fashion. Designers like Iris van Herpen have been particularly inspiring because not only does she use unconventional materials in her work, but she also has used different types of technology to create the pieces. I have been reading a lot about computer-aided fabric design and the widening range of smart textiles that are being developed. Through the work I create in seminar I would like to be able to find some sort of synthesis between art, design, and fashion.

I know that with whatever I make I would like to be as involved in every design decision along the way. For example, if I were to make a garment, I would want to design the pattern of the fabric, be able to choose which kind of material it is printed on, and vary its application. Different pieces would need patterns that would work best with it’s scale and usage. They might even be altered to be cohesive with additional materials, conventional or not, that could be used in that specific piece. After some research, I learned that the first step of this process, where I would be creating the patterns, could be done in several different ways, using different types of technology and skills I have or could learn. There are ways to make patterns that are mostly computer generated, through coding, programs, or photo manipulation. I would also like to explore other types of technology that I find interesting such as 3D printing and see if it can be applicable to my work.

What I would like to start working on first would be pieces that are interactive with heat or light in some way. While still incorporating the pattern-making for some of the fabrics, I would like to draw from another project where interference paint was used to shift the color of a room with the light that is cast on it. I have found heat-responsive dyes that could be used to alter the appearance of the garments made or use the same paint to make designs and patterns on the fabric which would then change in the light. I like the idea of pieces being interactive with the environment they are in, and a lot of inspiration is being drawn from people like Tristan Eaton who has a new collection through Reebok that has been modeled with his murals in the background, which are the same as the patterns of the clothes. The merge of art and fashion is what I’m really interested in and would like to explore.

22 August 2016

previous (May 2016) —

Through the work I create in seminar I would like to be able to find some sort of synthesis between art, design and fashion. Through the time I've spent at Montserrat I tried to learn as many different disciplines as I could with the end goal of bringing them together in some way. I have been most interested lately in creating patterns and looking at unconventional materials used in fashion. Iris van Herpen has been particularly inspiring because not only does she use unconventional materials in her work, but she has also used different types of technology to create the pieces. I have been reading a lot about computer-aided fabric design and the widening range of smart textiles that are being developed.

I know that with whatever I make I would like to be as involved in every design decision along the way. For example, if I were to make a garment, I would want to design the pattern of the fabric, choose the material it is printed on, and vary its application. Different pieces would need patterns that would work best with their scale and usage. They might even be altered to be cohesive with additional materials, conventional or not, that could be used in that specific piece. After some research, I learned that the first step of this process, where I would be creating the pattern, could be done in several different ways, using technologies and skills that I already have, or would learn. There are ways to make patterns that are mostly computer generated, through coding, programs, or photo manipulation. I would also like to explore other types of technology that interest me, such as 3D printing, to see if these might be applicable to my work. May 2016