Zoom Meetings

 

Working on the next Zoom meeting, the theme of which is 'Form Follows Function' I have been doing some deep thinking about issues of design - in all of its meanings.

So - how the cloth is constructed to create the quality required to do the job it is intended to serve.  But also how the cloth will look.

Design is a word that encompasses more than just appearance.  How we design something speaks to all the aspects of the cloth.  Engineers are trained how to do this for their particular slice of creating - be it structural, fluid, electrical, whatever.  As weavers we are trying to serve every aspect of bringing thread into cloth form.  We need the mathematics.  The physics.  The structural capacity of how the threads fit together - taking three dimensional rods and turning them into a flat plane.  One that could be smooth or textured.   Or even not actually flat but three dimensional as well.

We need to think about such things as absorbency, abrasion, drape, dimensions.  All of these things need to be considered.  

I was fortunate in my life to meet and interact with a number of highly skilled textile designers/weavers/spinners.  Even felters.  Since they were all working with the same raw material - fibre - each had something to bring to the conversation that allowed me to learn more.  Dig deeper.

I would name them except there have been so very many I would forget some.  

Not every hand weaver in the 21st century needs to dig this deeply, but some need to be able to hold the knowledge for future generations.  Hence my study groups.

Over the past few years I have had to come to grips with the fact that I'm no spring chicken and am not getting younger.  I am getting older.  I am reaching the stage of life where travel is getting more difficult.  

However, in large part due to the current pandemic, the internet has begun to play a more important part is getting information to those who are interested.  With the rise of computers the late 20th century was touted as the Information Age.  Unfortunately bad information also gets distributed.

So my Zoom efforts.

Each time I do a presentation I learn more.  For example, I did not know I could very simply and easily turn Power Point slide shows into a PDF.  This makes them easier to share with others, if I wish to do so.

You Tube has become very easy to use - once you figure out which buttons to push.  Plus they provide captioning.  Again, something I only recently discovered.  

I have also begun working on more Sunday Seminars for 2022.  I have been thoroughly enjoying the presentations thus far and look forward to learning more.   The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.  But, and here's the thing, I can continue to learn more.

And that is endlessly fascinating, endlessly interesting.