In the expertise of „Experimental Storytelling“, we studied the underlying elements that make a good story and explored them through different design disciplines. The main goal of the class was to provide us with experiential knowledge on storytelling, so we could apply it to our work. The design methodology used was the double diamond method. My project was based on the keywords: Tactile, Alchemy, Narrative, Textures, Resilience, Abstraction, and Black and white. I explored the relation between these ideas and tried to weave a story through them using metaphors that could translate into several possible meanings. The Invincible Thread is the story of a journey. It is the story of the fabric of life itself, of transition and evolution. It is the story of finding meaning and purpose and of redefining ourselves. It uses the symbology of textiles and refers to its glorious past, mundane present, and intuitive future. As a medium, textile is one we all are familiar with through one way or the other but the story is not merely talking about textiles but has layers of meanings that unravel as you move along and experience the storytelling techniques.
Topic
The design challenge for me was to develop a speculative in-nature project that predicts the future of humans and textile design and asks the question „What if“?
Concept
The initial phase of the concept development was a collective mind-mapping exercise while listening to super creative playlists of Alberto Iberbuden. It was a quick-thinking approach and I made a couple of word connections that helped me build up the story not only in a fun way but also in a way that resonated with me personally.
Mood Board
For the mood boards, I prepared three variations. One was inspired by lace and threads, the other was inspired by collages and silhouettes, and the third was inspired by theatrical textile masks.
Script
Story Structure - This But Therefore
Storyboard
For the storyboarding, I developed the thumbnails to see what frames I needed to consider for the story and what I needed to edit. This process was super helpful as it also helped me give a visible form to my idea. The thumbnails also looked psychedelic and abstract with plenty of visual movement.
Prototyping
Prototyping was done using analog collage and typewriter as the main mediums. This transition from digital medium to analog was super interesting. I also incorporated the use of three different threads that represent the three phases of textile evolution from the jute to the red elastic thread to the twisted red and white yarn. Additionally, a different type of paper texture was also used to represent the phases of the story.
Poster
Collages
Final Layout
