Rising to sustainable heights: solar balloons

October 1, 2019  |  Swatches

Imagine a thousand balloons gently floating in the air above a public square collecting energy from the sun. That’s the vision of Superspace, an Istanbul, Turkey-based architecture and design studio. Its design “solarCLOUD” was shortlisted for Land Art Generator, an annual international design…
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Illuminating the imagination

October 1, 2019  |  Swatches

Light artist Leo Villareal likes to focus on underlying structures and rules to understand how they work. Interested in simple forms such as pixels and the zeros and ones in binary code, Villareal often starts with a simple form that he builds upon to create movement and complex interactions that cr…
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FAQs: The Textile Industry Retirement Plan

October 1, 2019  |  Swatches

Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) has launched the new Textile Industry Retirement Plan, a benefit exclusively for IFAI members. Andrew Aho, IFAI’s vice president of new business development, describes why members should consider the plan and the many advantages it offers.  by A…
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From folklore to decor

October 1, 2019  |  Swatches

Artist Santosh Maravi is from a village called Gaarkarmatta in Madhya Pradesh, a large province in central India. His art form is Gond, a type of tribal painting that dates back centuries to when people created designs on the mud walls of their houses.  Today, Gond artists work on canvas with b…
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Sculpture in the sky

September 1, 2019  |  Swatches

The summer road trip—everything packed into the car for a journey to see the sights across the American landscape. That’s the inspiration for a multifaceted art event that took place in Massachusetts in July. But this excursion traded the automobile for a hot air balloon. The brainchild of Los A…
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Washable, weavable sensors

September 1, 2019  |  Swatches

Smart textiles continue to advance into more sophisticated and wearable options. Researchers at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan’s School of Engineering are developing a low-cost, yarn-like sensor that can be woven into fabric and composite materials.  The sensor is microscopic, ye…
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The Eco Pavilion at Wonderfruit 2018

September 1, 2019  |  Swatches

While the U.S. has Burning Man and Coachella, Thailand has Wonderfruit, a pioneering festival that attracts more than 10,000 people to the lush hills west of Pattaya on the Gulf of Thailand. Held in December, the four-day event attracts international music acts and celebrates the arts, sustainabilit…
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Air apparent: taking paragliding to new levels

September 1, 2019  |  Swatches

One of the keys to paragliding is a glider aircraft that is as lightweight as possible. Porcher Sport-sponsored paraglider Jean-Baptiste Chandelier knows this. He demonstrated amazing feats in the recent YouTube film, “Weightless,” seen by more than 37 million viewers so far.  A pioneer of prox…
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Living on the edge with the G7 POD

September 1, 2019  |  Swatches

Imagine you’re climbing up a sheer rockface, and you want to take a break. If you’re a rock climber on an extended expedition, this scenario is quite conceivable. However, one of the problems is gear. A traditional framed hanging tent system known as a portaledge weighs as much as 16 pounds or m…
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Enhancing corporate culture with fabricated space

September 1, 2019  |  Swatches

Capital One Corporation had a vision for their new Canadian headquarters in Toronto’s financial district: a design to enhance the company’s collaborative culture and be attractive to young tech talent. The financial services organization worked with IBI Group, a Toronto-based architecture and de…
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