IN-PERSON Prague Research & Teaching Conference

Abstract

This paper explores the interplay between embodied and abstract knowledge in design education through weaving, a practice that merges material making with analogue computation. Using the concept of “epistontology”—the entanglement of knowledge (epistemology) and being (ontology) through making—it positions weaving as both a method and a framework for design pedagogy. By integrating historically marginalized craft practices like weaving, this study challenges the Western canon’s division between intellectual and manual labor, revaluing tactile, hands-on engagement as integral to systemic thinking and design innovation. Drawing on Textile Tectonics, a second-year design studio at Georgia Tech’s School of Architecture (2020–2023), the paper demonstrates how weaving mediates transitions between iterative, tactile practices and abstract, systemic knowledge. The studio focused on Celtic knotwork, renowned for its interwoven patterns inspired by nature and braiding traditions. Students deconstructed knotwork from illuminated manuscripts into elemental figures, such as “X,” “V,” and “C,” translating the embodied practice of weaving into abstract part-to-whole relationships expressed through graphs and diagrams. These investigations culminated in woven screens that adhered to knotwork’s logic while functioning as architectural elements—simultaneously structural and ornamental. Contextualizing these designs through programmatic and site-specific requirements further demonstrated dynamic transitions between material and abstract domains. This paper argues that iterative shifts between embodied and abstract knowledge offer a powerful pedagogical framework for design education. Weaving’s methodological approach redefines design as an act of continual translation between knowing and being, where craft and computation converge to create innovative, context-responsive architectural solutions.