The secret life of textiles: Fellows Friday with Elaine Ng Yan Ling.
Clusters of fabric blossoms wave in response to movement, delicately laser-cut wood panels expand and contract in moisture or heat. Elaine Ng Yan Ling‘s textile and furnishing designs weave the magical movements of nature with manmade technologies, creating functional art that harmonizes urban spaces with the elements.
How would you describe your design principle of Naturology?
Fundamentally, Naturology is about nature working in partnership with smart materials. It’s based on biomimicry, and focuses on hybrid materialisation of craft and technology. Right now I’m exploring the use of electronics and shape-memory materials — polymers or alloys that “remember” shapes in response to environmental changes — to trigger and bring natural materials alive. I also want to render micro, unobservable movements in macro scale, using materials such as wood, cane and wool. With both natural and manmade materials, I’m creating objects that echo and augment the movements of nature in response to various external stimuli, like shifts in humidity and temperature.
Not only do I want to enhance modern architecture and interior design by bringing a subtle and fluid awareness of outside ecosystems indoors, evoking harmony and natural movement within an urban environment, but I am reaching for sustainable and eco-conscious design models.
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