Oksana Danziger - Nuno felting science and art

A virtual Workshop with Textile Artists Oksana Danziger from Textile Month 2022. Felting is a fabric technology that can produce a variety of different effects depending on the method, from wet felting (Nuno felting) to needle punch felting. In the case of Nuno felting, warm water and soap scales swell open, allowing the filaments to snag and interlock with one another when agitated. This knotting causes shrinkage, resulting in dense, strong felted fiber. Matting happens naturally over time, as evident in the hair of pets or in the hair of humans that has not been brushed. Finer wool fibers are generally used for wearable items due to their softness against our skin, while courser fibers are used for more utilitarian purposes, as they are more durable and pill less. Additional fibers that alone would not mat such as silk, cellulose fibers and even synthetics can be blended in smaller proportions with these animal fibers to create felt, as the animal fibers will intertwine and mat around them. Felting is a living example of sustainability; the process starts with using a local farmer’s produce and making it into a final product. The study of ecology believes that sustainability is achieved through the balance of species and the resources within their environment. In order to maintain this equilibrium available resources must not be depleted faster than resources are naturally generated. When we hear the word “sustainability” we tend to think of renewable fuel sources, reducing carbon emissions, protecting environments, and a way of keeping the delicate ecosystems of our planet in balance. In short, sustainability looks to protect our natural environment, human and ecological health, while driving innovation and not compromising our way of life.