Parsons School of Design
Specialisms: Textiles / Textiles - Weave / Textiles - Print/Embroidery
Location: New York, United States
First Name: Bhoomika
Last Name: Prasad
Specialisms: Textiles / Textiles - Weave / Textiles - Print/Embroidery
Sectors:
My Location: New York, United States
University / College: Parsons School of Design
Course / Program Title: Textiles MFA
Drawing inspiration from nature's patterns, mythological narratives, and literary worlds, I use weaving and embroidery as my primary techniques. These approaches allow me to investigate materials on my loom and give me experimental freedom. Working with the constraints of these materials brings meaning to my practice and fosters creative growth, resulting in simultaneously structured and organic textiles. In my work, I let the material live as it wants to; I simply provide it with a new means to exist.
The core of my work lies in a multisensory approach that extends beyond the visual. I create vibrant, interactive pieces that invite tactile engagement with the textiles. These textiles are meant to be touched, moved through, and experienced dimensionally. This tactile dialogue between viewer and material reveals textiles' unique capacity to communicate complex ideas through direct sensory experience.
I work with large-scale projects, primarily using copper wire and optic-fibers. Each material brings its own story to my practice, which leads to extensive research and testing of its limits and capabilities. I gravitate toward large-scale works because they allow me to engulf and absorb my viewers; as a short person, this reflects how I see the world, and presents my perspective.
CONFLUENT PATTERNS investigates material translation of sound phenomena through textile structures, exploring how Chladni figures, acoustic wave patterns first documented by Ernst Chladni, can be reimagined through contemporary weaving. Operating at physics, digital manipulation, and material exploration, this three-phase methodology begins with digital transformation of original Chladni patterns, systematically layering multiple acoustic formations while preserving mathematical integrity. The TC2 jacquard loom serves as a technological interface between digital composition and material manifestation. Black copper wire combined with cotton weft creates visual contrast and material dialogue, metallic elements introducing conductivity referencing sound's electromagnetic properties. This work transforms transient, invisible sound vibrations into enduring material objects, challenging conventional temporal experiences. The resulting textiles function simultaneously as scientific documentation, artistic interpretation, and independent material explorations, offering new perspectives on experiencing sound's invisible architectures.
STRUCTURED TEXTILES delves into the intricate relationship between structural textiles and sonic phenomena. This collection examines the tangible manifestation of sound waves through layered fabrics, exploring their physical and visual complexities. The series features two complementary pieces that translate acoustic principles into textile form: HOMOPHONY presents a double-weave construction joined at one edge, employing the overshot technique to capture the fluid, rippling movement of single-melody sound progressions. through a diamond overshot weave. The synchronized layers mirror how dominant melodic lines are supported by harmonic accompaniment in musical composition. POLYPHONY expands this exploration through a three-layered woven structure that alternates between point twill and plain weave techniques. The outer layers, crafted with white copper thread, encase an inner fabric of black and white copper twisted together. This construction not only represents the complex interplay of independent melodic lines in polyphonic music but also engages with illumination, transforming The textile becomes a dynamic surface that responds to and manipulates light. Together, these pieces investigate the multisensory potential of woven structures, translating auditory concepts into tactile experiences that engage both touch and sight.
REFLECTION AND REFRACTION investigates the physical translation of wave phenomena into tactile textiles, transforming transverse and longitudinal patterns into structured fabrics that bridge fluid dynamics and solid form. Two complementary pieces capture different wave behaviors. TRANSVERSE explores wave interplay through sophisticated material composition, featuring a cotton warp with weft that combines twisted reflective threads, alpaca, recycled wool, and cotton, creating striking vertical lines. These elements interact dramatically with light, rendering invisible wave energy visible. RIPPLES employs reflective warp with diamond overshot technique, manifesting cross-sectional wave intersections. Geometric precision creates compelling interference pattern representations. Black mohair weft balances luminous reflective warp, providing contrast and depth. Both textiles are hand-molded into three-dimensional forms, enhancing wave-like qualities. These materials respond to light and become physical embodiments of natural phenomena, allowing tactile wave experience.
"The self is our life's goal, for it is the completest expression of that fateful combination we call individuality" - Carl Jung Multifaceted and ever-evolving, the concept of self captivates me as a lived, shifting experience. Inspired by Jung's idea of self as "completest expression of individuality," my work embraces our contradictions: light and shadow, familiar and mysterious, comforting and uncomfortable. These dualities coexist, forming constantly fluctuating wholeness. Through woven sculptures and embroidered mazes, I translate this layered journey into tactile form. Each piece reflects life phases that shaped me, family's grounding influence, outside world's challenges and lessons, quiet introspection of memory and imagination. The totality of self is coincidental oppositorum, bright and dark, yet neither. My practice invites viewers to explore their own evolving identities, encouraging connection through shared pursuit of self-understanding, embracing differentiation and integration of our multiple components and personalities.