Dates and times: 17–19 September 2026, 10.00–18.00 | 20 September 2026, 10.00–12.00
Location: Ground Floor, Dyson Building, Imperial College London South Kensington Campus
A series of colourful, tactile macramé models developed by Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) researchers and their collaborators was exhibited at Imperial College London in September 2026 as part of the prestigious Textile Intersections conference and exhibition. Running from Thursday 17 through to Sunday 20 September, the exhibition explored cutting-edge textile research through the theme of ‘Material Intelligence’.
Dr Emma Shercliff, Associate Professor of Textiles and Participatory Making at AUB, led the project alongside a wider team of academic collaborators, including Professor Amy Twigger Holroyd (Nottingham Trent University), Professor Berit Bliesemann de Guevara (Aberystwyth University), Professor Fiona Hackney (Manchester Metropolitan University), Dr Chinelo L. Njaka (Peckham Rights!), and Dr Asha Ward (AUB).
The exhibit, titled Thinking with Knots: Materialising creative participatory research data using a macramé-inspired evaluation framework, showcased a methodology developed since 2023. The team has been using a macramé-inspired framework to evaluate the effectiveness of creative and hands-on participatory research, using the craft as a material metaphor to trace complex research journeys and outcomes.
