Dark materials: Futuristic fabrics appear at Tokyo Fiber ’09

Milan – Light-penetrable architecture, a breathing mannequin and a dirt-sensing robot made of nano-fibre fabrics are among the exhibits that explore the potential of sensewear – artificial fabrics, that is – at the Tokyo Fiber ’09 exhibition at the Triennale di Milano. Here, architects, designers, car and electrical manufacturers and a flower artist imagine how these materials will fit into our everyday lives.

Fibres as fine as human cells, materials that are simultaneously hard and soft and electrically conducive fabric are some of the sci-fi examples of sensewear the contributors had at their disposal. The results include a light-up bench that reacts to movement, a pollen mask that moulds to perfectly fit one’s face and light-as-a-feather children’s building blocks that are 95% air. The exhibition gives a glimpse of the scope for creativity that these futuristic fabrics allow, and of the functions they could have in myriad disciplines and industries.