Hella Jongerius invited a small group of 15 international designers to the Textillab in Tilburg (NL), to join a master class workshop titled «fabrics which transform».

Paper always fascinated and inspired Annette Douglas. The sheer beauty of white paper, the way it could be folded, how it bends and curves, how it can be cut and shaped, and so much more. 

Take a piece of paper, and scissors, cut shapes, cut in, and bend it – until a 3-D structure occurs, or a pop-up silhouette. This all leads to attempts to break out of the 2-D surface of textiles, and find ways into the third dimension, thus creating a new play of light and shadow.  

Replace paper with fabric, scissors with a laser cutter and, bending the shapes with thermo finishing and there come industrial processes with unlimited options. The design or forms were not important in the process of development. Instead, the study of the technique and the static behavior of the materials were the target. Especially exciting was, that through the construction and placement of the weaves, it was possible to bend forms to the back or to the front. Subsequently, the prototypes were created in an industrial process – woven on a Dornier Jacquard weaving machine, cut on a laser machine, and thermo-fixed with steam and heat. 

Annette Douglas‘s work in the Masterclass was nominated for the best project. The comment of Hella Jongerius: «An intelligent idea that opens the design field, a sophisticated technique, a sensual aesthetic. I am fascinated to see how Annette Douglas works, meticulously, intelligently, and purposefully. Above all, it is impressive that a simple starting point can create innovation in such a short time».