Output details

A Laser Etching Process for Paper and Non-Woven Textiles

This output demonstrates my development of a laser etch technique for paper and non-woven textiles. In this process, a printed surface is added to the paper or non-woven textiles, so that when the etching removes parts of the surface layer the strength and functionality is maintained. By adding printed surface layers, multiple depth etchings can be made, enabling unique decorative effects to be achieved. For example by etching at different depths the marks made become transparent when held up to light. The technique reveals changeable qualities within the surface so that images and colours can be both revealed and concealed.

The papers/textiles have been used to celebrate the work of UK Nobel Laureate Sir Tim Hunt who was awarded a Nobel Prize in 2001 for his work on ‘key regulators within the cell cycle’, which has had a great influence on development of understanding the progression of cancers. My materials were shown and featured in the Fabrics of Life project coordinated by The Medical Research Council Clinical Sciences Centre and University of the Arts. The resulting work was exhibited in Nobel Textiles at the I.C.A London and was used to illustrate the Nobel Textiles Project catalogue and film. Images of the work also featured in the Design for Elastic Mind Exhibition website, MoMA, New York.

This research was developed further for the MMU collaborative project, Pairings II Conversations and Collaborations exhibition held at Stroud International Textiles 2012. For this exhibition I worked on Vellum, which provided a fibrous ‘non-woven’ material and also Japanese non-woven papers. The aim of my work for this exhibition was to investigate the suitability of new materials for this laser etching process.