'AI Is Built on Datasets That Are Already Biased'; A Conversation with Felecia Davis

2023-06-22T08:27:00-04:00

Ever since her childhood summers sewing patterns at the family dining table, Felecia Davis has understood the power of textiles to be a vehicle for communication, connection, and understanding. As her career in architecture unfolded in parallel with wider advances in computational capabilities, Davis dedicated her studies, and subsequent career, to the question of how computational textiles could intersect with and challenge social, cultural, and political constructions.

This dedication to mobilizing design and creativity in the name of confronting societal biases permeates Davis' many leadership positions, whether as the founder of Felecia Davis Studio, a co-founder of the Black Reconstruction Collective, or as an associate professor at Penn State University, where she directs SOFTLAB; a research group dedicated to tools, methods, and design solutions associated with computational textiles. Davis’ leadership in the field has been recognized through many honors, including the Archit...

Working Out of the Box: Ishraq Zraikat Discusses Her Transition From Architecture to Textile Design and Material Development

2020-09-24T13:49:00-04:00

Working out of the Box is a series of features presenting architects who have applied their architecture backgrounds to alternative career paths.

In this installment, we're talking with Ishraq Zraikat, a Jordanian textile artist, weaver, and wool researcher. We learn why she decided to pivot from conventional architecture practice to fashion and textile design and how she eventually found her niche by fusing architectural design thinking with centuries-old Bedouin weaving techniques.

Archinect - Features

'AI Is Built on Datasets That Are Already Biased'; A Conversation with Felecia Davis

Working Out of the Box: Ishraq Zraikat Discusses Her Transition From Architecture to Textile Design and Material Development