Department of Chemistry and Materials Science

Beyond e-Textiles: seventh iterative workshop

Seventh biannual workshop of the Nordic network on smart light-conversion textiles beyond electric circuits (Nordic Programme for Interdisciplinary Research - NordForsk)

Beyond e-Textiles, seventh biannual workshop. Photo by Giulnara Launonen, Aalto University — Photo: from EGE Carpets

The seventh biannual workshop of the 'Beyond e-Textiles' project was organized on June 4-6, 2024 at VIA University College (Denmark). The workshop agenda was as follows:

Programme of the seventh iterative workshop of the 'Beyond e-Textiles' project. Image by Giulnara Launonen, Aalto University

The seventh biannual workshop finalized the sixth iteration period of the project. The event was a great blend of interactive workshops, visits to local organizations and inspiring discussions.

Participating institutions:
-Aalto University (Aalto)
-University of Turku (UTU)
-VIA University College (VIA)
-University of Borås (UB)
-Iceland University of the Arts (IUA)

The programme of the workshop started with a visit to EGE Carpets factory in Herning where we had an opportunity to explore the production process of high-quality carpets (including design, development and manufacture stages) and to discuss the company's focus on sustainability. In the afternoon, we took part in the Mapping Workshop facilitated by Martin Storkholm Nielsen and Klaus Greve True from VIA University College. The session involved reflecting on our experiences within the project, mapping, identifying potentials and next steps, and engaging in wishful thinking.

On the second day, the programme included Writing Workshop facilitated by Jaana Vapaavuori (Aalto) and Spinning Workshop with a visit to a spinning lab at the VIA Herning campus. After the workshops, all guests were invited to visit Socle du Monde Art Festival at HEART (Herning Museum of Contemporary Art) under this year's theme of 'upcycling'.

The third day started with the Steering Board meeting for the team leaders, which was followed by the Neuro-Lab Workshop at VIA Neurolab with discussions about neuromarketing, consumer behaviour, product development, user experiences, and marketing in general. The programme was finalized with the summarizing session when the biannual workshop participants reflected on the current state of the project, expressed their wishes and new ideas, and defined the project's next steps.

This event was (partly) supported by NordForsk through the funding to Nordic network on smart light-conversion textiles beyond electric circuits, project number 103894.

More about 'Beyond e-Textiles' project