Andy McDonald
Bio
Having been sponsored by IBM throughout his Masters in Manufacturing Sciences & Engineering, Andy graduated in 2005 before joining the Centre for Advanced Textiles (CAT) at the Glasgow School of Art as a researcher.
In 2007, he was awarded a full doctoral scholarship through the UK Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
By considering fashion as a form of media, his PhD research examines how digital technology could unlock the long tail of textile products. In particular, what are the commercial implications and creative opportunities for design(ers) once production shifts from just-in-time to on-demand?
Andy has presented his research at several conferences ranging from 'Textiles as Cultural Expression' (Textile Society of America) to 'Digital Freedoms' (Free Software Foundation Iceland) as well as having work featured in international exhibitions including 'Evolving Patterns' (International Textiles & Apparel Association).
Session
Flashed Fashion
During this session, Andy McDonald will present some of his ongoing research into the future of fashion and outline how the Centre for Advanced Textiles (CAT) at the Glasgow School of Art is using the Flash Platform to build advanced designer workflows, interactive retail experiences and automated manufacturing systems for clients within the clothing & interiors sector.
Learn how to integrate gesture-based inputs (eg: Wiimote, RFID, Augmented Reality, etc) into real-world retail installations and build applications that communicate with Creative Suite tools using PatchPanel & SwitchBoard and output the results to machines that make actual things!
How can rich interface / interaction technologies be used in conjunction with existing design software and manufacturing hardware to form a dynamic model for craft practice? What are the commercial implications and creative opportunities for design(ers) once production shifts from just-in-time to on-demand? By considering [fast] fashion as a form of [mass] media, how can we unlock the long tail of textile products? Could this platform evolve into an economically and environmentally sustainable alternative to mass production?
The session is intended to be a call to arms for designers & developers with the general aim of demonstrating that they already possess the necessary skills and tools to build these creative environments.