Felt PET: A material research project

Abstract

Wool has long been used by nomadic Mongolian herds-people as a cladding for their traditional dwellings and as a material for crafting everyday objects. A moldable, lightweight material into which other materials and forms can easily be embedded, wool felt has a distinct aesthetic and an inviting tactile duality. The Felt PET project challenges urban dwellers to see that material/structural innovations and strategic spatial effects can be produced from wool felt. The claddings I propose are designed around common activities and events. They intentionally shift between addressing the body and the architectural interior spaces the body inhabits. Though handcrafted and idiosyncratic, felting wool can produce claddings whose function and program vary across a continuous surface or landscape. By capitalizing on the enormous potential of wool for producing soft, flexible, portable, innovative, and playful interior environments, I see Felt PET as a viable and critical choice for a contemporary cultural artifact. (Abstract shortened by UMI.