It’s tough to say how our culture’s blossoming love of faceted geometry originated. Some credit the popularity of certain 3-D modeling software, which produces faceted digital artifacts when models are moved between different programs, often intentionally. Others say we love facets because we love the elegance of origami. For German designer Elisa Strozyk, though, facets are simply a means to an end, a repetitive geometry that renders complex, dynamic objects from simple chips of wood.

“Wooden Textiles” convey a new tactile experience. We are used to experience wood as a hard material; we know the feeling of walking across wooden floors, to touch a wooden tabletop or to feel the bark of a tree. But we usually don’t experience a wooden surface which can be manipulated by touch.
“Wooden Textiles” is a material that is half wood-half textile, between hard and soft, challenging what can be expected from a material or category. It looks and smells familiar but feels strange, as it is able to move and form in unexpected ways.

The processes to transform wood into a flexible wooden surface is its deconstruction into pieces, which are then attached to a textile base. Depending on the geometry and size of the tiles each design shows a different behavior regarding flexibility and mobility. There are various possible applications, for example as floorings, curtains, drapes, plaids, upholstery or parts of furniture.

According to Dwell, during her years at school, Strozyk randomly came upon an image of water-damaged parquet floor. She was transfixed by the organic curves of the wood tiles, thinking, “My God, the wood came back to life and is frozen in motion.” Wondering how she could replicate the effect in a controlled way, she tried attaching tiny facets of wood parquet to a piece of fabric, giving them order and flexibility. The resulting objects, which Strozyk calls Wooden Textiles, are hybrids: parquet when laid flat, blanket when in motion. They won a number of awards, launching Strozyk’s career after she graduated from school with a degree in textile design.