PolyThread

Glowing mix of materials

“PolyThread knitted textile pavilion” in New York City/USA.

The free-standing installation is a daring compilation of three-dimensional objects made of high-performance, adaptive materials and fibreglass tubing which all reacts to variegated light sources – including daylight – and the presence of people. The digitally knitted fabric structure absorbs, collects and delivers light, while other parts of the pavilion glow as soon as they are exposed to light. The extremely lightweight elements are easy to transport, highly durable and lend themselves to application in exterior spaces, storing sunlight over the day and using it at night as a light source.

The artist and her team drew their inspiration from forms and structures from nature, as well as from mathematics, one of their goals being to demonstrate digital fabrication as the creative correlation between architecture, mathematics and materials.

The lightweight, adaptive “textile pavilion” lends itself to diverse fields of application, the integral technology performing ecologically and based on natural light.

Artist: Jenny E. Sabin; Jenny Sabin Studio
Team: Martin Miller and Charles Cupples
Engineering design: Arup
Realisation: Shima Seiki; Wholegarment
Commissioned by: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum