Sculpting Fabrics: From 2D To 3D

Israeli-based designer Mika Barr has designed a 2D printed fabric, “Folding A-Part,” that takes on 3D forms when screenprinted with an inflexible material that holds the fabric rigid.

Inspired by the relationship between geometrics and organic materials, her design shows ingenious development in the exploration of how textiles can fold, break, and twist to form new structural shapes. Besides sculpture, the textile is versatile enough to use in a variety of fields like furniture and home decor, but we’d like to see how the fabric would translate into stage costumes.

The design of the hand-dyed textile, which up close looks like the biometric patterns found on the surface of skin or plant leaves, was initially hand-made process perfected by Barr, but has since evolved to support commercial scale manufacturing. We love this project not only for the mutable possibilities of the fabric—deftly transitioning from a 2D form to a 3D one and back again—but also for the way in which the structure of the garment can dictate how the print is interpreted, rather than the print governing the overall look.

Before screen printing (2D):

After screen printing (3D):

“Folding A-Part” will be shown as part of the Promise Design: New Design from Israel exhibition at Milan Design Week 2011 (April 12-17).

[via DesignBoom]