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Tapis Magique: A Choreomusical Interactive Carpet

Tapis Magique is a pressure-sensitive, knitted electronic textile carpet
that generates three-dimensional sensor data based on body gestures

and drives an immersive sonic environment in real-time. Inspired by the
craftsmanship and connections of Javanese and Balinese Batik and Ikat
textiles to their traditional performance arts, we set to merge new
materials, sensing technologies, and digital fabrication with

contemporary dance and music into one united and harmonious piece of
object and performance. The project explores the relationship between
sound and movement, and reveals the creative, unconventional
possibilities of dancers to have their own agency and improvisation over

the music and choreography.

Can the future of performance fabrics come from shellfish?

More than two years ago, Bellingham, Washington–based manufacturer
Tidal Vision launched a proprietary chitosan solution called Tidal-Tex,

which can be custom-formulated to give textiles biostatic, fire-retardant,
antimicrobial and anti-odor properties. While chitosan as a biopolymer
has been on the market for years, and is even touted as a medical
supplement, it is most commonly sold in a dry form, not conducive to

textile applications. Textile manufacturers interested in using it needed
to adapt the powder into a spray or coating, a process that can be costly,
particularly as chitosan has primarily been imported from outside the
United States, making it subject to tariffs and other import costs. “It’s

part of our mission as a company to take chitosan from just serving a
niche market in the U.S. to a solution that’s widely available,” says Kari
Ingalls, director of textile business development at Tidal Vision.

In an effort to increase production and distribution capabilities, in June,
Tidal Vision partnered with Leigh Fibers, a Wellford, South Carolina–
based manufacturer of engineered fiber solutions and a processor of
textile waste. The partnership has allowed Tidal Vision to open a new

24,000-square-foot facility within Leigh Fiber’s million-square-foot

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