Date: Wednesday, Aprtil 30th, 2025, 14:00h-15:00h UTC+2 (CEST)

Speaker: Anna Blumenkranz, research fellow and doctoral student at AIHI, University of Salzburg, Austria

Title: The Slow Stitch: E-Textiles as a Medium for Critical and Reflective Design

Abstract: 

In this seminar, I will share my professional journey, from my beginnings as a creative technology educator to my design research in crafting electronic textiles, participatory design, and social design. Through various projects, I will discuss my experiences in developing soft interfaces for marginalised communities and fostering diversity in educational spaces. I will highlight my current research into the temporality of e-textile materials and design processes and how a slower pace can shape critical and reflective design practices.

Biography:

Anna Blumenkranz is a design researcher and educator focusing on electronic textiles. With a keen interest in critical design and the intersection of art, design, technology, and society, her work explores how these fields converge to shape our everyday lives. In her PhD research at the faculty for AI and Human Interfaces at the University of Salzburg, Anna is researching electronic textiles as a design material for slowing down in design practice and workshops. She is also involved in the research project  Diversity Computing Spaces, which focuses on fostering diversity in school spaces with interactive technologies and facilitating diverse pathways of interaction.
Homepage: www.annablumenkranz.de

Photo credit: Maria Donska

To join the seminar online, send an email to jovegac@inf.uc3m.es

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If you are interested in giving a talk please write an email to: lab.imbody@gmail.com.