 |
|
|
Junichi Arai. Deep Sea. 1994.
Polyester and aluminum, 42 x 216" (106.7 x 548.6 cm).
Mfr.: Kay Tay, Fukui; also Oike Industrial Co., Ltd., Kyoto. Collection The Saint Louis Art Museum. Gift of the designer. "Melt-off" and heat-transfer printed
|
|
|
|
|
Reflective surfaces can be achieved in a variety of ways-from technical dyeing processes to the use of actual metallic yarns. In the twentieth century, the most commonly used method of making metallic yarns consists of single-ply polyester film that is metallicized on one side by means of a vacuum deposit of aluminum. A clear or tinted lacquer is applied to both sides of the film and then slit into thin strips to make a kind of thread called polyester slit-film. Junichi Arai's Deep Sea is a woven fabric of polyester slit-film with aluminum that is subjected to a "melt-off" technique, which dissolves some of the metallic thread, leaving behind a transparent cloth. It is then heat-transfer printed which transfers color to the surface of the fabric, resulting in layers of color and permanently pleated wrinkles.
Bridgestone Metalpha Corporation (a subsidiary of Bridgestone Tire Company) has come up with a revolutionary fiber that which is a by-product of manufacturing steel reinforcements for tires. This fiber has the softness of silk but is made of 100 per cent stainless steel. Iron-clad stainless steel filaments are stretched over many stages after which the iron is removed by acid. One of the most innovative features about this material, known as Alphatex™, is its ability to take on color by using a combination of chemical and heat processes instead of dye.
Reiko Sudo creates her version of a stainless steel fabric by "spatter-plating" stainless steel onto a polyester surface in Stainless Steel Gloss. This technique is the same that is used in the automobile industry to apply metallic finishes to automotive trim.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
VIDEO:
Bridgestone Metalpha Corporation. Silksteel Sculpture by Sheila Hicks. 1997-1998. Alphatex (TM), 14 x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm). Mfr.: Bridgestone Metalpha Corporation, Tochigi. Collection the manufacturer and the artist. Wire drawn and acid-pickled
(Quicktime 3.0) 1:52 mins. 28.8k
[ Download Quicktime Plug-In ]
|
|
|
|
|
Reiko Sudo. Stainless Steel Gloss. 1990.
Polyester, 44 x 245" (112.4 x 622.3 cm). Mfr.: Nuno Corporation, Tokyo; also Kanebo Spinning Co., Ltd., Osaka. Collection The Museum of Modern Art, New York and The Saint Louis Art Museum. Gift of Nuno Corporation. Plain weave, calender pressed and "spatter-plated"
|
|
|
