Textile Off-cut Twists Transformed Through a Primitive Technique
London-based architectural design studio PAN- PROJECTS has unveiled Entwined Matters, a project that transforms textile off-cuts generated in clothing factories into ropes with new applications. The project focuses on textile by-products that are often discarded as industrial waste despite their high quality and design value. Rather than following conventional processes of shredding and reprocessing, it explores ways of transforming them into another material while preserving the original qualities of the fabric. The project begins with irregular remnants left behind during the cutting of large sheets of fabric. Some of these pieces remain partially connected after cutting and are transformed through the simple act of twisting and intertwining into ropes with strength and structural integrity. The resulting ropes consolidate fragmented textile pieces into cohesive forms, revealing distinctive textures and sculptural qualities.
Ropes are considered among the earliest materials conceived by humanity, predating the wheel, the axe, and even fire. One theory links the origins of architecture to the invention of ropes. As one of the most primitive technologies for binding objects and combining materials, rope expanded the possibilities for constructing and assembling structures. This simple technique—transforming small pieces of grass and fibres into resilient material through twisting and intertwining—has long functioned not only as a practical tool but also as a religious and ritual symbol throughout human history. Entwined Matters applies the historical significance and material potential of rope to contemporary textile by-products, proposing discarded materials once again as materials with a distinct identity.
A key aspect of the project also lies in its method of production. Rather than relying on complex machinery or specialised technologies to convert by-products into materials, the project adopts an approach that remains accessible to anyone. Rope-making through twisting can be carried out entirely by hand without dedicated equipment, and with simple tools, textile off-cuts of various shapes can be transformed without cutting or sewing. In this way, the project offers a more sustainable way of addressing waste in the fashion industry.
The completed works were presented in an exhibition held inside the former district office building in Valga, Estonia, which had remained abandoned for years after a fire. Installed throughout the exhibition space, the ropes create distinctive dialogues with the ruined architecture. The textile by-products used in the exhibition were provided by a local clothing factory.
This project is the latest addition to Architecture of By-products, PAN- PROJECTS’ ongoing research-based series. The series reinterprets by-products generated in urban and industrial environments as architectural materials and creates dialogues between space and its surrounding community through narratives developed from materials.
Project: Entwined Matters / Location: Valga, Estonia / Architect: PAN- PROJECTS / Organiser: VARES / Project partner: Tartu 2024, European Capital of Culture / Collaborator (material provider): Aclima / Production: PAN- PROJECTS & VARES / Use: installation / Material: off-cut textile / Completion: 2024.8 / Photograph: ©Yuta Sawamura (courtesy of the architect)
