ziyan liu London, United Kingdom
I am a textile artist and PhD researcher working with experimental knitting and textile systems. My practice is informed by posthuman design thinking and nature-inspired processes, focusing on how textiles emerge through the interaction of materials, machines and environmental conditions, shaping form, movement and material qualities.
As a mixed-media textile artist, my practice focus on textile art and experimental knitting, working with both domestic and industrial knitting machines. I use tools such as domestic knitters and Dubied systems as part of the making process, testing stitch structures, yarn choices and machine settings through repeated material experiments.
Led by material, unconventional materials are used alongside knitting, glass, sound and digital tools to expand the boundaries of textile art. Through collaborative projects with artists from different disciplines, I bring knitted structures into installations and cross-media works, exploring how textiles operate within space, perception and movement. These projects tend to develop through samples, systems and process-based outcomes rather than fixed, finished objects.
My work is frequently informed by natural forms and biological structures, particularly plant growth and organic systems. Rather than directly imitating nature, I translate these inspirations into knitting structures, material combinations and making processes, allowing textile forms to emerge through experimentation.Alongside studio practice, I am actively involved in collaborative projects, teaching and workshops. I treat textiles as a medium that connects craft, technology and contemporary artistic expression, and my ongoing practice focuses on how knitted forms are shaped through the interaction of materials, machines and making conditions.
