This doctoral research explores ways in which textility, a concept popularised by anthropologist Tim Ingold, may be explored through sonic art installations, compositions and performances. The term textility refers to an understanding of creative practice in which form emerges through an intervention in fields of force and flow; rather than imposing form, which Ingold describes using the term hylomorphism, textility involves the following of lines and contours latent in materials, in anticipation of what may arise through creative acts of exploration and engagement.
The exploration of textility in this research takes two forms. Firstly, it takes the form of an original portfolio of artworks, each created for the purposes of understanding how textility may be explored across a variety of different materials and media common to sound art practices. Secondly, it takes the form of a written text. The text starts by introducing the notion of textility, explaining how this notion underpins the central research motivations and research methods. It goes on to consider how an exploration of textility through the creation of sonic artworks requires the development of bespoke methods, referencing the portfolio of original artworks to illustrate key findings and observations. The research concludes by arguing that textility and hylomorphism cannot be separated; there is always an element of both in every creative work. In this context the artworks become frameworks whose aim is to foreground an ongoing reflective focus on intention, action, agency, and outcomes. Understanding of this conclusion, and the creative structures underpinning this investigation, enables one to develop purposeful strategies for best intervening in those fields of force and flow that Ingold describes, to produce creative works in which textility is aesthetically central.
