Textile Expressions: A Practice-Led Approach to Cultural Preservation and Embodied Making with E-Textiles

Abstract

Heritage arts and crafts play a crucial role in shaping national identity, serving as living expressions of cultural legacy and historical continuity. These practices offer powerful visual and material representations that preserve and communicate the distinct artistic traditions of communities and regions. However, many of these crafts are now at serious risk of extinction due to shifting cultural priorities and industrialisation.

This practice-led doctoral research explores how traditional Chinese craft practices, particularly embroidery techniques such as tin embroidery, weave stitching, and seed stitching, can be reimagined through the integration of emerging technologies such as e-textiles. By merging the tactile, handcrafted nature of heritage textiles with interactive and conductive materials, the study investigated how traditional techniques can be revitalised while retaining their cultural and aesthetic significance. At the core of this research was the belief that craft is not only a means of making but also a method of storytelling and cultural transmission.

The research was grounded in experimentation, combining heritage techniques with contemporary materials through a practice-led process that foregrounded embodied, tactile engagement in making. Rather than relying on automated or digital fabrication, the research drew on deep material knowledge, iterative prototyping, and reflective fieldwork. Methods such as replication, unlearning, and cultural immersion supported a sustained investigation into how traditional craft forms might be preserved, adapted, and transformed through contemporary practice. The researcher’s personal perspective and identity as a maker were central to the process, framing craft as both a personal and cultural act of communication.

This doctoral project combines practical outcomes with a written thesis, offering a comprehensive exploration of the research process and creative development. The thesis not only details the learning journey of this project but also reflects on key insights and presents one of its key contributions: the creation and design of the digital prototype book. This outcome documents and shares the experimental and creative journey, featuring a curated mini collection of textile prototypes through step-by-step guides, material narratives, and visual documentation. The digital book functions as a visual and narrative companion to the thesis; more than an instructional manual, it serves as a living archive and a potential platform for creative education, cultural engagement, and knowledge sharing. Designed to support renewed interest in heritage techniques, the book invites others, especially emerging makers and educators, to connect with, reinterpret, and extend traditional crafts into contemporary and future contexts. Together, these components articulate how traditional craftsmanship can evolve within a contemporary design context, contributing to broader dialogues around craft, technology, methodology and sustainable creative practice.