How did you choose Textile Design as a major?
I was interested in silk-screen printing as an art form. I
wanted to gain more technical skills in printing on fabrics using newer
technologies. When I took a class in weaving, I knew that I wanted to weave all
the time, so I made that my major. Weaving also allows me to dabble in making
images (like prints), but also textures, and forms with really cool machinery
and technology.
When did you learn to knit/weave/print, and who taught
you?
I learned how to silk-screen print at the Fabric Workshop
and Museum in 2016. The apprenticeship mentors taught me how to do silk-screen
printing on like 50 yards of fabric. I learned how to weave in Weave Design 1
with the amazing teacher here, Bridget Foster.
Do you have a background in design or textiles?
I have a background in a “fine” art studio practice, which
included painting, drawing, printmaking, and sculpture.
Who are your design heroes?
Probably Rei Kawakubo from Comme Des Garcons, or Wolfgang
Tillmans (an amazing German photographer), or Anni Albers for uncovering the
visual language of weaving, there are too many…
Tell us about the colors, landscapes, artists, or
architecture that inspire your design work.
Rosy colors have been a theme in my work for about a year
now. Science Fiction plant life, queer culture, house music, physics, early
morning light, paradigm shifts, and urban life are just a few of the things
that inspire me. Like the previous question, there are too many to list them
all, so many!
Which design from your portfolio are you most proud of,
or is most special to you?
I don’t have a single design that I am most proud of.
There’s one weaving that has sort of been cemented as “the best,” but that’s
likely because it was the first in the series I am working on. The weaving I am
talking about opened a lot of doors for new weavings, so it’s special to me.
Are there any techniques in textile design you’d like to
explore further?
Multi-layer cloth, open reed, weaving with one warp on
multiple looms simultaneously, knitting, felting, devoree, tatting, weaving
trims, moire with calendaring, macrame, braiding, ikat, resist dyeing, dye-sub
printing, velvet weaving, so many things to try...
What do you have on your knitting machine/loom/sketchbook
today?
I have a tubular double cloth on my loom today with
different weave structures throughout that make the tube function as a “sock”
or “shoe” concept. The idea is to show potential employers how weaving
structures/weaving technology can be utilized in mass manufacturing to easily
make shoes in one step, without cutting, sewing, etc...
What is your favorite thing to do to distract yourself
from school stress?
I make sure to go hangout/chillout with my boyfriend and
play video games with him every night for about an hour.
What is your favorite class, and why?
Studio, because it’s an amazing environment and structure to
discover yourself as a designer. It took a while to understand that it was up
to me, though.
What advice would you give an incoming student into the
Textile Design department?
Be yourself and work harder than you think you should.
What surprised you the most about Textile Design at
Philau/Jefferson?
How eager the faculty is to help you make your dreams come
true. They really just want to make you your best self.
What is your favorite thing about Textile Design?
I don’t have one favorite thing about Textile Design. I love
that yarn is a line and is organized into a dimensional pattern. I just love
that. I also LOVE the people in textiles, both in industry and school. I also
love that textile design is a very powerful industry/trade, and no one
understands it.
To see more of Ben's work, you can visit his website, Studio Ben Jones, or follow him on Instagram.
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