computer 1.0 (2019)
hand woven polymer tubing and natural fibre thread, oil / liquid
Exhibited at Museum of Art and Design
SOFT MONITOR
c o m p u t e r 1.0 is a textile material that tells a story of technology while also incorporating ancient and modern technologies including weaving, coding, fluid dynamics and hardware
computer 1.0 (2018)
hand woven polymer tubing and natural fibre thread, oil / liquid
Exhibited at Governor’s Island Art Fair
computer 1.0 (2019)
hand woven polymer tubing and natural fibre thread, oil / liquid
Exhibited at Museum of Art and Design
computer 1.0 (2018)
hand woven polymer tubing and natural fibre thread, oil / liquid
Exhibited at Sara Kay Gallery
computer 1.0 (2019)
hand woven polymer tubing and natural fibre thread, oil / liquid
Exhibited at Art of Tech
Weaving computer 1.0
Victoria Manganiello and Julian Goldman are the talented duo behind SOFT MONITOR. Based in New York they combine textile art with technology and focus on ‘telling stories of materials, technology, and culture through physical experience.’
Who is in Soft Monitor and where are you based?
SOFT MONITOR is a New York based art and design collective focused on telling stories of materials, technology, and culture through physical experience. Collaboration, both between people, materials, and information, drives our practice to make experiential objects that viewers can use to participate in dialogue with others as well as reflect on their own lives. Founded in 2017 by artist designers Victoria Manganiello and Julian Goldman, SOFT MONITOR’s recent projects include participation at the Wall Street Journal Future of Everything Festival (NY, NY), Currents New Media Festival (Santa Fe, NM), Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art (IN), and the Museum of Arts and Design (NY, NY). Julian is an industrial designer focused on cutting-edge bio-materials, sustainable design, and computer-aided making for varied product-directed companies. Victoria is an award-winning textile artist and professor (adjunct appointments at New York University and Parsons); her work, focusing on the intersections between textiles, ritual, gender, and technology has been presented around the world.
What is your background in textiles, or art?
We formed our collective based on both our similar and distinct curiosities and experiences with textiles and their stories. While Victoria has a background in fiber and craft arts as a dyer, spinner, weaver and educator, Julian’s background is in bio-materials, wearable technology, and textile manufacturing technologies. We share a strong desire to explore what materials can do and how the origins of production, manufacturing, distribution and utilization of materials impacts their and our place on earth. In working together, we’ve had the opportunity to participate in both art and design spaces and in doing so have considered how those two genres are less distinct than the industries often portray.
When and why did you start it?
Both of us had careers in textile/art/design before we started working together but found that our individual skills complemented one another very nicely. In our four years collaborating, we’ve both been able to learn a lot from the other. Collaboration offers an inspiring, flexible framework for creativity and innovation and we have discovered a way of working together that seems to accentuate our individual approaches to making and story-telling.
How are you incorporating textiles and technology?
c o m p u t e r 1.0 is a textile material that tells a story of technology while also incorporating ancient and modern technologies including weaving, coding, fluid dynamics and hardware. In our upcoming projects we continue to blend an approach of storytelling with material technological exploration and innovation.