Kathryn Walters
Doctoral Student
Faculty of Textiles, Engineering and Business (including The Swedish School of Textiles)
— Department of Design
Email: kathryn.walters@hb.se
Signature: KAWA
Kathryn Walters is a PhD student and researcher in textile design, specialising in weaving. Her research explores the development of transformative textiles, woven flat and which self-assemble to take three-dimensional form. In particular, she investigates how form-generating behaviour can be designed into woven textiles through the combination of material properties and yarn and weave structures. In this process, textiles are seen as systems responsive to their environment, capable of developing emergent behaviour. A current focus is the potential of textiles woven from natural fibres to exhibit smart and transformative behaviour.
Kathryn has an MFA in Textile Design from the Swedish School of Textiles (2018), and a BDes in Photographic Design from Massey University in New Zealand (2008). She learned to weave at the Handweavers and Spinners Guild of Victoria (Australia), before being introduced to power-loom weaving during her studies at the Swedish School of Textiles. Through her research, she continues to work with both hand-weaving and industrial technology.