Akron Life September 2023

Sean Ahlquist’s installation photo by Sean Ahlquist

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Different colors and textures abound in a tent-like structure with stretchy tubes that aims to appeal to people of all ages and all sensory needs. It’s 8 feet tall and 20 feet long, made of textiles like nylastic and polyester yarn, and held up by fiberglass rods. Explore it at the “Knitting Beyond the Body” exhibit at the Kent State University Museum. “You can stand up inside of it, but you can also pull it up and down, you can swing it, twist it side to side. It has a lot more freedom to engage the different sensory interactions,” says Sean Ahlquist, an associate professor of architecture at the University of Michigan, who created the piece, has an autistic daughter and researches how to create sensory environ ments that are interactive and inclusive for disabled or neurodivergent people. “Knitting Beyond the Body,” which is on dis play from Sept. 29 to Aug. 1, 2024, is based on cutting-edge research from the School of Fashion’s high-tech KnitLab, which has cross disciplinary partners like Kent State’s Liquid Crystal Institute and Design Innovation Hub. The exhibit brings together artists who are focusing on innovation through textiles and knitting. See examples of garments and products used in fashion, medicine, interior design, architecture and more. For Ahlquist’s piece, which has many versions, he worked with a University of Michigan engineering professor to make sure it stays standing but also with the community he’s hoping to reach by getting feedback and doing redesigns. “There’s definitely a com munity collaboration,” he says, “working with different therapy centers, with public schools, with the disability community.”

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SEPTEMBER 2023 | akronlife.com