Material Connections in Craft Making: Bilge Aktas, Maarit Mäkelä & Tarja-Kaarina Laamanen — Proceedings of Design Research Society 2020 Conference

Aktas, B., Mäkelä, M., & Laamanen, T-K. (2020). Material Connections in Craft Making: The case of felting. In Proceedings of DRS2020 (Vol. 5, pp. 2326-2343). (Proceedings of DRS). Design Research Society.

This study examined a creative practice, namely felting, to explore the daily practices and encounters of felt makers. The study aimed at understanding the material connections of felt-making that are not limited to the making process. To examine how practices of felt makers emerge in connection to materials, we employed the material engagement theory as our perspective. The data was collected through interviews with eight felt makers and participant observation at two studios in Turkey. The analysis revealed how felt makers think between things, people, space and time and develop their practices accordingly. These findings illuminated a holistic and insightful understanding of the material’s role in shaping the practice and field. A more holistic and insightful approach can also propose being open to constantly renewing creative practices and recognising how its material connections affect other things and people.