Login
       
  • Revealing localised design practice in Thai hand weaving

Siriphon, Wuthigrai, 2019, Thesis, Revealing localised design practice in Thai hand weaving PhD thesis, Royal College of Art.

Abstract or Description:

This research project proposes the formation of “Localised Design Practice” as a new
framework for working between Thai designers and Thai hand weavers. The overarching
principle is that the disciplinary knowledge of design is localised and evolves according
to what has been learnt from the local knowledge. This framework is directed to form
long-lasting and mutually beneficial development projects for the designers and the
weavers. The research project has emerged from a concern with the politics of
knowledge in that the disciplinary knowledge of design is considerably more dominant
than the local knowledge of hand weaving in current textiles design development
projects in Thailand. This state of affairs poses the risk that local knowledge is suppressed
and diminished by the act of design development.
This research project was realised through a hybrid methodology utilizing theoretical
frameworks of critical ethnography and grounded theory with apprenticeship and
making practices. The research activities were divided into two parts. The first part
explored apprenticeship and learning Thai hand weaving within its contexts in Thailand.
The second part aimed at the integration of the two forms of knowledge, research being
conducted both in the UK and Thailand.
The research has identified that, although Thai hand weaving and design are
fundamentally different, they share many qualities, hence knowledge integration is
actually possible. Further research could test this framework to make changes in real
settings, and to study the applicability of this framework in other contexts.

Qualification Name: PhD
Subjects: Creative Arts and Design > W700 Crafts > W710 Fabric and Leather Crafts > W714 Weaving
School or Centre: School of Design
Funders: Anandamahidol Foundation, Thailand
Date Deposited: 25 Jun 2019 12:04
Last Modified: 05 Jun 2022 08:38
URI: https://researchonline.rca.ac.uk/id/eprint/3954
Edit Item (login required) Edit Item (login required)