ABSTRACT
The increasing interest in the personalized and flexible fabrication methods afforded by computation has led to a growing appreciation of material construction techniques that previously were not automated. By bringing together hand- and computer-based approaches to making, such practices create a neutral ground for reconsidering the existing categorization of materials frequently rooted in the limitations of the machinery used in their production. Similarly, textile design software often confines the user to predetermined structures, further restricting experimentation. Instead, a non-specific design framework and a hacking methodology have the potential to facilitate innovation by morphing tools and manufacturing processes. In response, this paper proposes textile hierarchy as a systems-based approach to constructing multi-dimensional forms, wherein textiles are viewed as complex combinations of individual arrangements. With weaving as a foundation for these explorations, it aims to widen the structural potential of woven textiles by introducing new thread configurations and approaches to their creation.
