Content uploaded by Andrea Ehrmann
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Andrea Ehrmann on Dec 12, 2014
Content may be subject to copyright.
Application of LED elements in design project “New Season in Bolshoi
Theatre”
Ekaterina Strunevich, Moscow State University of Design and Technology
(MSUDT)
Nadezhda Presnetsova, St. Petersburg University of Technology and Design
(SUTD)
Andrea Ehrmann, Marion Ellwanger-Mohr, Rudolf Haug, Research Institute
for Textile and Clothing (FTB), Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences
The research project “New Season in Bolshoi Theatre” is based on the
complex unification of creative, scientific and educational approaches within an
international project. Non-standard modern interpretation of a historical creative
source acts as a creative idea. A review of innovations in textile and sewing
branches has shown that the most important directions of modern research in the
field of innovative technologies are smart textile and electronic clothes. Thus, the
scientific approach is the integration of innovative technologies into the clothes
design process and is carried out in a collaboration of German and Russian
designers and researchers.
Description of research area
Innovative, i.e. “intelligent / smart” clothes are clothes with essentially new,
unique functions. One of the main components which allows the consideration of
the garment as a “smart garment” is the innovative technology (e.g. electronic
clothes; clothes changing the form depending on external influences or wearer’s
breath; capable to heat “emotional” clothes with touch sensors; clothes with
LEDs).
In literature, the “smart” garment design process is considered as the
synthesis of four main components:
1. New function of a garment. In a modern society the existing
requirements are changing and new requirements appear for essentially new
clothes (for example clothes with communication and navigation systems, clothes
with systems for examination of arterial pressure and physiological processes in
the organism).
2. Innovative technologies, allowing for the interpretation of a design
object as “intelligent” (electronic clothes, clothes with LEDs, clothes changing
the form depending on external influences or wearer’s breath, capable to heat
“emotional” clothes with touch sensors, etc.).
3. New kinds of textile materials possessing unique properties (the textile
materials change color depending on environment temperature or influence of
sunlight, conductive yarns and fabrics).
4. New approach to the design process. We offer a combination of German
and traditional Russian higher education approach, and also typical schemes of
clothes design process applied in clothing industry.
Thus, the basic idea of the project includes working out the new approaches
for innovative high-quality garment design which could be capable of satisfying
modern society requirements.
Concept of the design process
The conceptual idea of the new collection design was based on the
interpretation of Russian culture motives, folklore and folk crafts in the modern
costumes for theatrical performance. The authors are inspired by the features of
Russian national character, hospitality, prowess and generosity, the dynamics of
Russian dance, traditional folk festivals which are world-famous in the phrase
“wide Russian soul”.
Russian nesting Matryoshka doll, Dymkovo toy and unique architectural
elements of a famous Moscow church are selected as a source of creation (Fig. 1).
The color palette of the collection is implemented in bright and pure natural colors,
which have been used in traditional Dymkovo toy painting across the generations.
Along with the widely known Russian Matryoshka doll, the Dymkovo toy became
an original Russian symbol with its four hundred year history. It is characterized
by a simple and clear plastic form, a generalized silhouette, and colorful
ornamental painting on a white background. Each hand-made toy is unique and
reflects the heart, mastery and own style of the creator.
Firstly, a collection of sketches for theatrical show costumes is created. The
project called “New Season in Bolshoi Theatre” is based on design object’s
functional purpose (Fig. 2). Then the print collection for manual printing is
developed. The decision to apply hand-printing technology is based on the
requirement of maximum compliance of the design object with the creative source
saving texture of snow-white cotton fabric and handmade work originality (Fig. 3).
Taking into account the project’s short time duration and the wide range of
tasks, only one corset-dress model is accepted for further realization. The
construction and patterns are created in a CAD system. The form of a tear-off
bodice of the garment is reminiscent of a dome of the famous Moscow church. The
form of the Dymkovo toy’s figure is interpreted in the form of the design object –
the rhythm of volumes results from the average volume in the field of the garment
bodice, which then decreases with underlining of the waist slenderness of a
Russian ballet dancer, and then increases proportionally to the volume of a
Dymkovo lady’s skirt. The bottom part of the design represents a 720 degrees
double flared skirt.
Printing is performed on the garment’s half-way stage, followed by the
process of the costume manufacturing. Integration of innovative technologies in
the clothes design process is carried out by means of the LED lighting of the dress
bodice. According to the authors’ concept, the LED lighting symbolizes the
sparkling sun on the church dome. Thus, the task was to offer a new method of
attaching LED elements to the fabric surface.
Integration of LED elements
The method of fixing LED elements on a surface of a cotton fabric using
machine straight and zigzag stitch is investigated.
The experiment is carried out using conductive yarns (Schoeller, PES /
stainless steel Nm 50/2) which are capable of conducting an electric current. The
value of the current in the electric circuit influences the LED luminosity.
Some tests are carried out in order to determine the optimal technical
conditions at which the conductive yarns have the lowest resistance.
In the first test the zigzag stitch seam is made (Fig. 4a). The conductive yarn
is used as the lower thread. The stitch width is 4 mm, the stitch length 2 mm.
Fixing the LEDs on the fabric surface is done by hand.
The second test is realized with the same technical conditions, but with a
stitch width of 2 mm.
In the third test, a straight stitch is used (Fig. 4b). The conductive yarn is
used as the upper thread.
In the fourth test, a consecutive chain including two LEDs with straight
stitch is created.
Conductive yarn used as upper thread allows for attachment of LED
elements, either by hand (for small LEDs) or by sewing machine (for larger LEDs)
(Fig. 5). This process preserves the processing chain, so we can imagine the future
industrial production of fabrics with integrated LED elements and conductive
yarns.
Resistance of conductive yarns in the machine stitch
At this stage of the work the most important task was to choose the machine
stitch type leading to the lowest resistance of the conductive yarns.
Multiple measurements of the resistance in each of the four tests show that
the resistance of the yarns depends on the technical conditions and stitch type.
Change of zigzag width (from 4 mm to 2 mm) leads to a resistance reduction. The
lowest resistance is found for straight stitch (Table 1).
Conclusion
The idea of LED element integration into clothes is a new perspective
direction in scientific research. Integration of LED elements with conductive yarns
can be used in textile decoration for interior design, for advertising and also for
clothing production. The introduction of the proposed method of LED fixing into
industrial production allows for creation of fantasy models for a podium, exclusive
clothes for the individual consumer and intelligent clothes with special functions.
After identification of the technical conditions for a method of fixing LED
elements, all components of the conceptual idea are joined in an innovative
costume (Fig. 6).
Acknowledgement
Some of the authors (E. S. and N. P.) wish to thank the Niederrhein
University of Applied Sciences, the Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology,
the Research Institute for Textile and Clothing (FTB), and the German Academic
Exchange Service (DAAD).
Figures
Fig. 1: Creative sources: Russian Matryoshka doll, Dymkovo toy, architectural
elements of a Moscow church.
Fig. 2: Sketches for clothes collection.
Fig. 3: Sketches for collection of prints.
Fig. 4: Zigzag stitch (Fig. 4a) and straight stitch (Fig. 4b) of conductive yarns on
the surface of a cotton fabric.
Fig. 5: LEDs fixed on the surface of a cotton fabric.
Fig. 6: Realization in the creative project “The New Season in Bolshoi Theatre”.
Tables
Table 1. Comparison of resistance values depending on stitch type and technical
conditions.
Stitch type and technical conditions
R [/cm]
1. zigzag stitch (zigzag width 4 mm, lower thread)
151.8 ± 21.7
2. zigzag stitch (zigzag width 2 mm, lower thread)
55.5 ± 14.8
3. straight stitch, upper thread
50.0 ± 10.1
4. straight stitch, upper thread (consecutive chain of two LEDs)
48.7 ± 15.1