An announcement for the good cause. I know how hard it is to find a great PhD in a field that you love! Here is a call for an international PhD studentship in tectonic textiles between the Centre for IT and Architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture, and the Textiles Future Research Group, Central Saint Martins, College of Art and Design.
The position will be based in both research environments so as to make full use of the expertise and equipment available. The applicant will be expected to move between the institutions placed in Copenhagen and London, respectively. The position is offered as a 3-year contract under the regulations of the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Federation of Professional Associations, AC.
This Ph.D. application will be administerd by CITA.
Click ->here<- for further information
The deadline for application is 23 May 2008. Material received by CITA after this time will not be taken into account.
A bit of research context for the studentship
The last decade has seen an extensive development in the textile industry. The invention of new high technology fibres and yarns as well as new fabrication techniques for weaving, knitting, pleating, welding or laminating of materials, is causing an increase in the use of textiles across multiple disciplines. From the miniature detailing of knitted arteries inserted into the body to the extreme scales of geotextiles, textiles are entering new fields of fabrication, hybridising existing technologies and inventing new ones. In architecture, the metaphor of textiles is increasingly informing design practice. Whereas textiles have always been used in tensile structures and within the interior, the idea of weaving, pleating or knitting a building is challenging traditional construction techniques. The idea of a curtain wall, an independent and self-supporting membrane of steel and glass that wraps around the building, is now being explored through the metaphor of fabric.
One of the key developments in this technological innovation has been the emergence of smart textiles, or intelligent textiles, that embed digital technology in woven, pleated or knitted surfaces. These materials enable wiring or circuitry to become a direct part of the material. Intelligent clothes, wearables and soft computing are research fields that have been receiving huge amounts of international interest during the last decade. The use of conductive threads and fabrics and the embroidery of standard electronic components as well as stand-alone microprocessors have allowed the imagining of a material that holds its own capacity for sensing and actuation. Here, state-changes: the intensification of colour, the emergence of light or the stirring of movement, allow the material itself to become a reactive surface that engages with its occupant or wearer. These materials have mostly had their application in the development of smart uniforms for the military, but have also lead to more experimental and probing explorations allowing for a new conditioning of technology as something soft, pliable, adaptive and mobile. Questioning the idea of a fixed user behind a standard terminal within a rigid office environment, these investigations propose a flexible technology that ultimately is ported and changed by its usage.
The International PhD Studentship will focus on the siting of these technologies within an architectural research context. Investigating the embedding of soft technology within the interior, the project will seek to define new means by which a dynamic and user-controlled architecture can be imagined. It is the intention that the candidate will work in a practice-based and experimental manner where direct experience and engagement with materials and technologies will create the foundation for innovative research. 
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Blog Jouons 
Thursday, May 08, 2008
International PhD Studentship in Tectonic Textiles!
Sunday, May 04, 2008
The new Ars Electronica Centre, opening January 2009
The new Ars Electronica Centre, opening January 2009
*********** JOBS @ ARS ELECTRONICA ***********
Ars Electronica Futurelab is hiring artists and researchers
. artists /software engineers (openGL, C++)
. artists / hardware engineers (sensors and programming)
. artists / modelers (3D, real time graphics)
. technical planners (software and/or hardware and CAD)
. project managers (software, exhibition)
. designers / architects (exhibits and media in architecture)
Ars Electronica Futurelab, the R&D division of Ars Electronica founded in 1996, is an atelier/lab for media art, design, research, and production. Members of the Ars Electronica Futurelab represent a broad variety of different disciplines and nationalities, working in such areas as computer vision, sound analysis, mobile computing, generative graphics, computer controls, and computer networks.
Ars Electronica is embedded in the activities for Linz, Austria. As the European Capital of Culture in 2009, a continuously growing, vital cultural environment is guaranteed both in the city and as the working environment at the lab.
Ars Electronica Futurelab is hiring 12 to 20 new members to be part of the creation team of the new exhibits at the Ars Electronica Center as well as other projects. We are seeking both junior and senior level team members. Partially academic, partially production oriented, experts share their knowledge in workshops we call "LabAcademies," thus we are seeking both experienced teachers and avid students.
Interested persons should prepare to stay for a period of at least 12 months in Linz Austria. There is a possibility for some positions to stay even longer or become permanent. The languages spoken in the Lab are English or German.
Ars Electronica will assist foreigners to obtain work permits for Austria. Contracts may be either for employment ("freier Dienstvertrag", includes insurance packages) or as contractors ("Werkvertrag"). Annual wages vary according to experience but will generally be 23,000-30,000 E ($36,000-$50,000). Linz is a medium sized, picturesque city located on the Danube, with typical housing costs for a one-bedroom apartment of 400 E ($550) per month.
Please email your CV or resume and a short letter (including references) to: Horst Hortner
Email: futurelab [at] aec.at
More information ...
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