There is something intriguing in the way a textile moves in the wind. A light textile material picks up the, seemingly, random movement in the wind, creating structures in motion with soft, billowing shapes that seem to dance in the air. (in)Formed by wind is a kinetic, knitted, design prototype that challenges and explores the textile material within architecture. The wind around the structure is both used in the design and dampened to create a more comfortable climate, merging engineering, architecture, and art in the installation. New means of expression were found through exploring the structure of the knit and its ability to create a three-dimensional effect on the surface level as well as on an architectural scale. The project is part of Erica Hörteborn’s research at Chalmers, where she is working in the intersection between material, form and force. The overlap between the fields of textile, architecture, and wind.

CNC-knitted drop-stitch based on a pattern of mathematical fractal trees

Erica Hörteborn

(in)Formed by Wind, 2020

About the artist

Erica Hörteborn has a double degree: Master of Architecture and a MSc in Architectural Engineering. Since fall 2016 she is a PhD student and part of the Architecture and Engineering Research Group. Her research explores textile form, material, and production methods, as well as mathematical sketching, simulations and physical prototypes, with a focus on wind and kinetic architecture. “How can we, through the use of textiles, create architecture that use and benefit from the wind?”