Material Thinking:
lectrical Wire
Hand Weaving Wires in Casing
This experiment explored the possibility of weaving electrical wires into a textile-like structure. The results revealed that the wires’ stiffness made them unsuitable for weaving full textiles as they resisted bending and maintaining an interwoven pattern, but can be woven into meshes. The attempt, provided valuable insights into wire flexibility and different possibilities.
To test this concept, I secured several wires to a peace of cardboard, anchoring them in place to allow for easier manipulation. I then attempted to interweave them in a traditional textile pattern, but the rigidity of the casings made this extremely difficult. Despite multiple adjustments and forceful bending, the wires would not hold a woven form and often snapped back into their original shapes. When leaving bigger gaps between them, i was able to achieve a mesh.
This approach does not seem viable unless the wires are significantly more flexible. A future iteration might involve weaving single strands of copper rather than fully cased wires, incorporating yarn to add pliability to the structure, or settling on mesh like weave. Experimenting with different thicknesses and types of wires may also yield better results.