Craft Designer as Researcher: Theorising Design from Practical Perspectives
Author: Nithikul Nimkulrat
peer-reviewed conference paper, 2009
Although the discourse of craft design centres upon creative productions and products, craft designers rarely discuss or articulate them verbally. This paper aims to illustrate how a craft designer can play the role of a researcher in theorising design based on creative practice. My textile art practice was utilised as the vehicle of my research, which seeks to elucidate how a physical material employed in art textiles can influence the formation of experiences and thoughts of both the craft designer and viewers. This study proposes the conception of materialness, which is the power of a physical material to express meanings to the creator and audience through its physicality. This conception is an example of how a design theory can be theorised from the practical perspectives of a designer through her reflective practice.
Suggested Citation: Nimkulrat, N. (2009). Craft Designer as Researcher: Theorising Design from Practical Perspectives. In J. Verbeke and A. Jakimowicz (eds.) Communicating (by) Design (pp. 483-491). Brussels, Belgium and Göteborg, Sweden: Hogeschool voor Wetenschap & Kunst - School of Architecture Sint-Lucus and Chalmers University of Technology.
