From Loom to Light: Electronics in Textile Art and Design
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Abstract
The integration of electronics into textiles has transformed traditional fabric design and art into a dynamic, interdisciplinary field that bridges engineering, material science, and creative practice. Electronic textiles, or e-textiles, have evolved significantly since early explorations with conductive threads in the late twentieth century, advancing through developments in weaving, printing, and fiber-level integration. Weaving techniques enable the incorporation of conductive yarns and circuits directly into fabric structures, while printing approaches facilitate scalable fabrication of conductive patterns, sensors, and responsive surfaces. These methods provide the structural and functional foundation for smart textiles, which are capable of sensing, actuating, and even adapting autonomously. Applications now extend across healthcare, sports, defense, and fashion, supported by innovations in energy harvesting, flexible storage, and adaptive computation within fibers. In the domain of textile art, artists are actively exploiting these technologies to expand aesthetic expression and interactivity. Works by practitioners such as Maggie Orth, LigoranoReese, and Victoria Manganiello highlight how electronics enable textiles to become dynamic, data-driven, or responsive artworks, merging craftsmanship with interactivity. Contemporary fashion innovators like CuteCircuit have further demonstrated how e-textiles blur the boundaries between art, design, and wearable technology. Beyond static functionality, the future of e-textile art points toward bio-adaptive, self-powered, and battery-free fabrics that integrate soft robotics, wireless communication, and AI-driven adaptability, offering unprecedented potential for sustainability, immersion, and embodied interaction. This review highlights the historical development, fabrication strategies, artistic applications, and emerging challenges of electronic textiles. By synthesizing insights across both technological innovation and creative exploration, it underscores how electronics in textiles are reshaping not only material design but also cultural and artistic practices, positioning smart e-textiles as critical to the future of design, wearable systems, and interactive art.
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