Liquidity Consciousness
Introducing YUHU
Material researcher, Foster + Partners
RCA MA Textiles 2022
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Our paths intertwined in a serendipitous manner, culminating in a connection that would profoundly impact the trajectory of the Music-Mind-Textiles project. With meticulous planning and thoughtful conceptualisation, we embarked on the journey of implementation.
It was during this pivotal phase that I had the pleasure of crossing paths with YuHu, an exceptional designer hailing from the Foster+ Partners. Introduced to me by our project professor, Anne Toomey, Head of the MA Textiles Program at the Royal College of Art (RCA), YuHu's graduation work in 2022 left an indelible impression, showcasing their extraordinary talent and their distinctive fusion of artistic creativity and technical expertise.
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YuHu's artwork beckons individuals to embark on a transformative journey of self-exploration and introspection. In 2022, she skilfully crafted an interactive system that pushes the boundaries of traditional art, giving tangible form to the ethereal realm of emotions through a dynamic textile installation prototype. By seamlessly merging the realms of neuroscience and textile technology, her creation harnesses the power of brainwave data to materialize human consciousness into vivid visual display.
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The live textile structures, meticulously fashioned with tubing and an enchanting palette of coloured liquids, act as the conduit through which individuals can engage with their own emotional states. Guided by the principles of creative technology, participants are empowered to manipulate the hues and patterns of the textiles, granting them control over the visual expression of their thoughts, meditative states, and various levels of consciousness.
Beyond its undeniable artistic allure, YuHu's interactive soft system carries a profound purpose. It serves as a sanctuary for individuals yearning for respite from the mental burdens and isolating effects of the ongoing pandemic. By providing a space for personal reflection and self-focus, the installation fills the void created by the dearth of intimate personal attention and interaction, offering solace and healing.
The fortuitous encounter between YuHu and the SMG team at the inception of this project brought together shared aspirations and a profound understanding of the human experience. As a textile designer, her collaboration with the team brings forth a visionary interface that offers a distinctive perspective on the potential of future textiles. __ Project Curator : Amelia Peng
" Music can inspire stories within each person, and what form do these stories take when they come to mind? Is it visual, auditory or otherwise? In Mind-music-textile, the audience can play the stories in their heads on a textile with changing light, and I hope that when the story is over the audience will take away a new, warm and healing story. " __Yu Hu, Material Researcher, Foster + Partners
Yu Hu
is an Interdisciplinary designer from RCA Textiles-Soft System. She works with material, fashion, and technology.
Yu Hu focuses on creating organic morphological variations of materials to explore the dynamic aesthetics of living beings and the chaos space between the digital and the physical world.
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MA Textiles 2022
Introduction: Controlling textiles with modified states of consciousness
© YUHU, MA Textiles, RCA 2022
CHAOS - Liquidity Consciousness
© YUHU, MA Textiles, RCA 2022
Q&A
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As project collaborator, What are your thoughts on this project collaboration, and what inspired you from " Music-Mind-Textile" ?
This project reflects the changing feelings of the audience towards the music in the textiles, incorporating user demands and expectations into the design. Focusing on the details of human-computer interaction and emotional connection creates a piece with a high degree of emotional resonance. Communication between human and themself is often the most difficult, we spend a long time trying to understand ourselves, and this work is such a medium, a mirror, a phone, where you can talk to yourself in the process and you are sure to hear some “secrets”about you.
What insights do you have from your profession, and what thoughts do you have on the topic of Textiles Design advancements in Materials, Technology, Environment and Health that you would like to share with the public?
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I am a fashion designer and smart textile designer so I understand that textiles have a great potential as a material that is closely related to people's lives. In addition textile design can be used in creative and innovative ways to make sustainable lifestyles more interesting and appealing. I try to experiment with sustainable materials and production methods such as natural dyes and biodegradable plastics in my artworks, so that we can reduce our environmental footprint and create unique artistic effects at the same time.
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What message or actions do you hope audiences take away from visiting ‘Mind-music-textile?’
Music can inspire stories within each person, and what form do these stories take when they come to mind? Is it visual, auditory or otherwise? In Mind-music-textile, the audience can play the stories in their heads on a textile with changing light, and I hope that when the story is over the audience will take away a new, warm and healing story.
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