Exploring the Innovation and Expressiveness of Chinese Grass Cloth in Interactive Art Installation

Abstract

This study explores the innovative potential and expressive capacity of Chinese grass cloth (Xiabu) within interactive art installations. As a traditional textile with unique materiality and cultural symbolism, the experimental application of grass cloth in contemporary textile art remains largely unexplored. This research investigates how innovative methods can be developed for grass cloth, how it can be creatively integrated into interactive installations, and how a replicable design paradigm combining natural forms, fabric manipulation, and interactive technology can be established.

The objectives are to analyze the expressive qualities of grass cloth when reinterpreted through natural forms, textures, and biomimetic principles; to experiment with fabric manipulation and interactive technology to enhance its artistic dimensions; and to investigate how traditional textiles can evolve into dynamic, interactive art installations that embody both cultural heritage and ecological consciousness.

Using a mixed-methods approach—including literature review, unstructured observation, semi-structured interviews, questionnaire surveys, and material experiments—the study reveals that grass cloth’s physical properties, when enhanced through dyeing, restructuring, and interaction, exhibit strong adaptability to interactive and experiential art.

The study concludes that Chinese grass cloth can transcend its traditional functions to become a medium of experimental textile art, offering new aesthetic and cultural expressions. The implications lie in establishing pathways for the sustainable revitalization of traditional crafts and contributing to the discourse on material innovation and interactive art practices.

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