Pull It Together: Textile Patina as an Interface for Externalizing Invisible Tension.

Patina is seldom used as an interface, but offers rich metaphors for slow technology and unmaking. This work explores how everyday objects' wear and tear might serve as an interface by leveraging patina's ability to semiotically communicate objects' physical memory. We focus on textile patina because of fabric's ubiquity, proximity to the body, and creative affordances (e.g., mending, sewing). Through our prototype of Pull It Together, a pocket whose surface actuates to modulate threadbareness, we discuss how artificial patina might enable designers to help users process invisible tensions (e.g., stress, unspoken needs). We developed distressed swatches with tangible animations to understand the medium's materiality, and conductive patches to help mend literal and emotional wear and tear. We propose applications of artificial patina that support dialogue around well-being, community solidarity, and creative practice, and present opportunities for translating everyday objects' sensory perspectives into ambient interfaces for reflection and communication.