Jesse Seay

Electronic Damask
Knitted cotton yarn and wire, electronic components; 96 x 48 in.

My work consists of textiles of knitted wire, kevlar, and yarn, embedded with electronic components that create patterns of electric light and color. In Electronic Damask, the light patterns are created by the damask-like circuit soldered to the surface of the textile.

In the words of curator Erin Toale in the press release for NoFi Show at Chicago Artists Coalition in 2014: “Jesse Seay uniquely combines two modes of production in a way that both questions use value and rejects gender norms. Utilizing a process she developed, Seay hacks knitting machines to create functional knitted circuits. She hopes to build bridges between the largely female knitting community and the male-dominated field of electronics; creating an overlap in a dialogue between what is traditionally men’s versus women’s work.”