Knit Color Relief exhibits a combination of new textile design technologies through a series of colorful reliefs. Continuing the motif of circular openings in the Design Orchard façade, the hangings project a colorful view of the sea. Using imagery of light reflecting off the surface of the ocean, Knit Color Relief celebrates the ever-changing colors and textures of nature. The full-color surfaces are knitted from discrete cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and white yarns using an algorithm developed under the Functional Textiles project by researchers in the Dynamic Assemblies Lab. This process allows the controlled placement of colors on a stitch-by-stitch basis, creating the illusion of a continuous, wide range of colors. When seen from a distance, viewers perceive these individual stitches as a cohesive image but up close, the knit structure and individually dyed yarns can be discerned. Using CNC knitting technology, each polychromatic circle is knitted as a single piece with a seamlessly integrated channel to mount the knitted fabric onto a bespoke, laser-cut frame.

Inspired by our collaborators’ commitment to environmental sustainability, the ripples and shifting hues of the knitted fabric pay homage to water – the most important resource on our planet. Knit Color Relief uses TENCEL™ branded fibers, a cellulosic fiber harvested from sustainable wood sources and manufactured using an environmentally responsible closed loop production process. Yarns that are made from TENCEL™ branded fibers are colored using Matex’s award winning Megafix® dyes, Megafix® ECO, and MegaPro® ECO Sustainable Colors. Their innovative and environmentally friendly textile dyeing process eliminates the need for salt and requires less water, energy, and effluent treatment than conventional reactive dyestuff.

Knit Color Relief is housed in The Cocoon Space, a co-working and event space run by the Textile and Fashion Federation (now called the Singapore Fashion Council).

Knit Color Relief was supported by the SUTD-MIT International Design Centre.