I am an artist, designer, and educator working in craft, DIY electronics, and smart materials. Some call it eTextiles. Other terms include soft circuits, electronic craft, computational craft, or wearable technology.
I examine the intersection of craft and technology, exploring the interplay of tradition and narrative, ritual and play, teaching and learning. My work focuses on designing computationally enhanced craft objects that speculate alternative pasts, presents, and futures both as critique of social structures and as forums for radical pedagogy. I believe deeply in the power of hybrid spaces to challenge cultural constructs, redefine perceptions of self, and build diverse communities of practice.
Research is central to my practice. As an emerging discipline, eTextiles nurtures inclusivity, self-expression, and open sharing, instead of eschewing it for efficiency, exclusion, and power. It would not exist without the tireless documentation efforts of its early and current practitioners. Much of my work investigates uses of smart materials and fabrication processes that I document and share openly with the community. Combined with speculative storytelling methodologies, these experiments and prototypes drive my work.
Collaboration is deeply tied to my process. I consider it essential to learning and sharing not only skills and ideas, but perceptions, values, and attitudes. To create something with another person or group of people is to forge a bond deeper than most friendships. Collaboration is humbling and euphoric, an exercise in trust that develops across that wide expanse between brainstorm, final product, and iteration.