Xiaobo Hou

Xiaobo Hou works as a textile designer with a passion for exploring structure forms in soft materials. Before studying Printed Textiles at the Royal College of Art, she completed a BA in Textiles Design at Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology in 2019.

During her studies at the RCA, Xiaobo focuses on rediscovering and exploring the relationship between nature, space and bodies. She is dedicated to exploring works that can arouse the audience's attention to the surrounding natural world and bringing a sense of one-ness of human beings and nature into her work.

Air current is unshaped and flowing. It travels through everything and brings dynamic to the world. Inspired by the idea of holism, I feel everything is in a state of flowing. They are implicated in each other and affect each other's state.

In this project, I tried to explore the interconnection of lives and air currents. The activities and living conditions of animals and plants can affect the temperature, while the temperature difference can cause the formation of air flow. I collected the diagram about wind paths and air temperature observed with satellites that reflect the indirect effect of human activities on airflow.

Besides, kite-flying is a process of cooperation with wind and air currents. I tried to fly kites to capture the kite flying process and record the wind paths.

I visualized temperature, wind paths and my own feelings to wind and created a series of modular systems, which can be assembled and adjusted into various interior textile products such as carpets, space dividers, wall hangings, containers and interior decorations, just like the flowing shapes of air. Users can assemble the products any way they like. The flexibility of the structure allows them to wander between utility and ornamental. This fabric structure, which is connected into a whole from various parts, also reflects the theme of the interaction and interconnection of various things in this project.

Initial drawing

Initial material experiment – Synthetic leather, screening printing & laser cutting

Paper prototype – They have slightly different patterns and shapes but the same connected structure. By this way they can be combined at will.

Paper prototype & flat form

Three-dimensional form

Modular system 1 is a big scale version system. It can be flat structures or three-dimensional structures, can be carpets or interior decorations hanging on the wall.

Medium:

Wool felt.

Size:

Each piece is 23cm in diameter.

Flat form

Container form

Modular system 2 shares the same connected structure with system 1. This is a small scale version system. This system can be assembled into flat fabrics or containers.

Medium:

Wool felt.

Size:

Each piece is 7cm in diameter.

Flowing - Modular system 3 - Subtle, nonstop, power, Wool felt.

Compared with the other systems, modular system 3 has a tight structure and uneven surface, which means better sound absorption. This system can be a space divider or wall hanging.

Medium:

Wool felt.

Size:

Various.

How they work in home space, media item 1

How they work in home space, media item 2

Xiaobo Hou

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Royal College of Art