Tactile textiles

By Benjamen Judd.

Ilias Fotopoulos didn’t come to design in the standard way. Then again, there is nothing ‘standard’ about the work that Ilias does either.

Initially paving a career for himself as a lawyer, it was not until a few years down the legal path that Ilias finally gave into that internal passion all artists posses and turned his mind and talents towards design. The results speak for themselves.

Ilias has described himself as an artist-maker who is involved in the construction and creation process that goes into his unique textiles from start to end. And he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty either, often using experimental techniques and procedures to get the desired result. Acid washing, lacquers and heat processing are some of the methods that Ilias has used to achieve some truly beautiful works of design and art.

One of his most iconic and memorable works as has been the Braille project, which saw Ilias collaborate with visually impaired writers and artists and publish their work in a three dimensional format. The result was a series of readable wallpaper that questions the role of decoration and the interaction of the observer with surrounding space. It also highlights the emphasis of the visual in design, which contradicts the incredibly tactile nature of the industry.

For more information on Ilias and his work, visit his website here.