I recently went to Designers Block, part of the London Design Festival, and was very pleased to meet Elaine Ng Yan Ling. A recent graduate from the MA Textile Futures course at Central St Martins, Elaine has being exploring shape memory jacquard woven structures to interesting effect. Both fabrics pictured contain moving elements once connected to a power source - subtle and elegant gentle movement which demonstrated this new technology in an accessible way.
In her own words:
Elaine Ng Yan Ling has spent her MA in Design for Textile Futures ( graduated with a distinction) at Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design exploring the function of shape-memory materials. She has focused on how the behaviour of natural elements can be manifested in man-made materials to enhance modern architecture and interior design.
Elaine’s design principle is based on Biomimicry, focusing on hybrid materialisation of craft and technology. By programming shape memory materials she explores how tectonic movement can be achieved through natural responses to heat, light and electricity. Woven and etched patterns respond to changes in environmental conditions such as light intensity or mechanical force. With a sustainable and eco-conscious design philosophy she explores living urban textiles and their responses to sun, wind and rain.
Techno-Naturology is Elaine’s latest discovery in the relationship between natural formations and technology design. Techno-Naturology is the use of
Her specialized craft skills are a cross disciplinarily use of woven textiles design and three-dimensional surface design of wooden materials. The result is a constructive textile that is both an art piece and a functional material.
artificial technology to activate and simulate natural reactions. The concept of ‘Naturology’ tectonic motion is not only about mimicing the behaviour of nature, but also a means of evoking natural movement within an urban landscape. With this design philosophy Elaine enhances the fluidity and functional responsiveness of architecture, creating harmony within our urban environment.
I really love the first piece, what a wonderfully creative piece of work. Rich and dynamic, yet still controlled, contemporary, yet based on an historical perspective. A very hard balance to achieve, yet it works really well.
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