Seed by Seed: The story and process behind the collaborative design of the UW Madison 175th Anniversary Banners

In this presentation, Associate Professor Marianne Fairbanks, doctoral candidate in Anthropology Molli Pauliot, and Professor of Digital Arts Stephen Hilyard will discuss the collaborative  process behind the banner design. Fairbanks and Pauliot came together around a shared interest in the language and structures of textiles, basketry, and natural fibers. Using these shared interests, they have created a design for the banners that celebrate the technical skill of the handmade. This abstract visual language is at the heart of textile forms and innovation, which is possible when we apply this knowledge to create solution-based designs and beautiful objects. Hilyard created a software workflow involving polygonal modeling and instancing to create a 3D digital model of the 160,000 beads in the banner. The final image was digitally rendered from this model. Developing ideas for honoring the Ho-Chunk Nation and the university’s commitment to Our Shared Future, this design team recognizes the past while focusing on future community building between these two forces.