Light Art by Maggie Orth

Pile Blocks (2008).

 'By touching the woven pile squares (the grey conductive areas) light is transmitted through the woven textile to reveal hidden colour and pattern. Touching the different pile sensors creates different animated lighting patterns, which move over the surface of the piece.

Patterns interact with each other like ripples in a pond.A single piece of fabric combining both double weave and pile textile structures creates the conductive sensors and light transmitting effects. When white, LED light passes through the double weave fabric, the colored weaving on the back is revealed. Software explores a variety of regular patterns and randomly generated sequences.' 

'Firefly' dress and necklace.

Maggie Orth uses electronics frequently within her textile pieces to create interesting, quite interactive effects. I think the 'Pile Blocks' piece is quite lovely as it is almost as though the fabric has the ability to come alive alive as it can react to your touch and completely reinvent itself simply by using a different lighting pattern. I prefer it to her 'firefly' dress due to it's abstract nature and I could see the design being used as a repeat print in fashion textiles.