Abstract
Textiles play an important role in queer storytelling, encoding a rich history of communication in societies where such identities have been suppressed or criminalised. This research explores the queering of mapping and model making in built-environment design research through the case study of the author’s textile mapmaking practice. Building on queer political theorist Cathy Cohen’s writings on the provocational and ‘othered’ nature of queerness within societal structures, this research explores how the production process of these ‘mapestries’ challenges the norms of architectural modeling and representation, requiring both fabricator and audience to engage with the material. Through this queering of spatial analysis, this practice builds a methodological framework that allows for novel research perspectives. The resulting interactive textiles serve as haptic artifacts that increase accessibility of analysis and representation, acting as tools for community engagement and hands-on learning.
Keywords
textiles, queer theory, spatialised research methodology, craft, haptic learning
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2422
Citation
Tayvah, R. (2026) Queer Textiles: Spatialising Architectural Research, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2422
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Queer Textiles: Spatialising Architectural Research
Textiles play an important role in queer storytelling, encoding a rich history of communication in societies where such identities have been suppressed or criminalised. This research explores the queering of mapping and model making in built-environment design research through the case study of the author’s textile mapmaking practice. Building on queer political theorist Cathy Cohen’s writings on the provocational and ‘othered’ nature of queerness within societal structures, this research explores how the production process of these ‘mapestries’ challenges the norms of architectural modeling and representation, requiring both fabricator and audience to engage with the material. Through this queering of spatial analysis, this practice builds a methodological framework that allows for novel research perspectives. The resulting interactive textiles serve as haptic artifacts that increase accessibility of analysis and representation, acting as tools for community engagement and hands-on learning.