Glowing Textiles Steal This Year's Stockholm Furniture Fair

Malin Bobeck, Droplet

The Swedish School of Textiles recently made a lasting impression at the Stockholm Furniture Fair with its students’ gently glowing art textiles. A division of the University of Borås, the Swedish School of Textiles presented work from some of its final-year pupils at the Greenhouse-an area of the fair devoted to promoting emerging artists. United by a theme of ljus, material och struktur (light, materials, and structure), the pieces on display reflected five students’ experiments in integrating lights into their weaving, and were shown in the dark.

Malin Bobeck’s Liquid Light series was represented by two pieces; Droplet and Flow. Bobeck says her inspiration for both came from the way liquids interact with smooth surfaces- Droplet mirrors raindrops on a window, and Flow captures rain streaming down a pane of glass. Both involve weaving optical fibers through jacquard; in Droplet, the fabric reacts to an application of heat and shrinks in spots to create the raised bumps.

Malin Bobeck, Droplet

Malin Bobeck, Droplet

In Flow, an Aurdino system controls a pattern of blue light, creating the illusion of water streaming down the fabric’s surface.

Malin Bobeck, Flow

Malin Bobeck, Flow

Joanna Vikström created a vitrine containing a more comforting textile version of often-terrifying deep sea life forms.

Joanna Vikström, Aquatic

The stand also featured colorful work from Ellinor Eliasson, Frida Simonsson, and Therese Amus Gidlöf.

Work by Frida Simonsson

Ellinor Eliasson, Shimmering Snow

Therese Amus Gidlöf, Layers of Time

With the great focus on wearable technology, it’s encouraging to see schools challenge their students to integrate these disciplines early in the game. This set of students is definitely on the path to a bright future in design.

Images are courtesy the artists.

Tip from DesignMilk