Woven Sounds

Woven Sounds is my master’s thesis work for Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, and it deals with designing woven acoustic sheer and lightweight curtain fabrics. The work combines both the technical solutions of functional interior textiles and the visual pattern design with the concept of sound. The designed fabrics have the appearance of conventional lightweight curtains but are able to absorb medium and high frequency sound. The work is done in collaboration with an Italian weaving mill Lodetex.

The thesis work includes around 50 jacquard woven prototype fabrics with various structural and material combinations, and also some digital print designs. Two different sketching methods were used for the visuals: digital sound responsive computer sketching and material cymatics sketching. Played sounds generated the visuals independently through either a material medium or an algorithm capturing the essence of that particular sound. Visuals vary from wave drawings and colour gradients to cellular structures. The designed fabrics do not only take in excessive sound, but they also include different visual sound stories.

Photo by Ilkka Saastamoinen
Photo by Ilkka Saastamoinen
Photo by Ilkka Saastamoinen