Making-of
e-textiles, the combination of electronics and textiles, has shown us that by introducing a new palette of materials and tools for building electronics we can build a greater diversity of artifacts that are not only aesthetically intriguing but also functionally novel and often the result of a personal encounter with electronics. In attributing the diverse results of e-textiles solely to the new palette of conductive fabrics and threads involved in making them we overlook the impact that the shift in process has had on electronics – namely a shift from the established practice of assembling electronics from a kit-of-parts, to a process of crafting electronics.
In applying craft practice to electronics we allow for a more individual, continuous and direct approach to manipulating circuitry and components. This approach requires both manual skill and an intimate knowledge of the materials involved that popular breadboarding and PCB design techniques avoid. While there is much benefit in the efficiency and speed with which we can prototype and design electronics from a kit-of-parts, we are ultimately constrained to the system within which the parts function. By introducing a Kit-of-No-Parts approach to crafting electronics from a diverse palette of materials and tools I believe that we will be able to create a greater diversity of electronic artifacts that are more understandable and personal.
How we build…
A Kit-of-No-Parts Approach…
Where to start…
Documentation…
Examples…
Sharing…
