The Living Knitwork Pavilion is an architecture, art, and immersive experience installation in the form of a dodecagonal pyramid, measuring 18 feet tall and 26 feet wide. It consists of 12 modular opto-electronic textiles as petals, each featuring 90 textile reliefs inspired by temple carvings and 3D-knitted with functional yarns. The fusion of parametric and hand-designed motifs transforms the Living Knitwork into a narrative artwork, reflecting both a reverence for ancient artistry and a vision of the future. These reliefs, full of symbols and illustrations, depict 12 stories of the future — from solarpunk cities and bio-machine interfaces to the deep ocean and space exploration.

The Knitwork petals are designed with mesh-like openings for light and wind to pass through, double-knit popped-up tactile and sensing patterns, thermoplastic yarns for shaping, and custom channels for anchoring ropes and electrical cabling. Each knitwork petal takes around 12 to 15 hours to knit and weights approximately 4 kg. The finalized central structure of the pavilion consists of an asymptotic lattice network of lumber and joint elements, optimized for structural integrity (designed to withstand many climbers and wind-load up to 70 mph) while minimizing material use. All the fabrics, lumbers, and joints can be easily transported and in compact with volume comparable to 12 large suitcases.

By day, the “Living Knitwork Pavilion” serves as a shading structure, providing a communal space for discovery, relaxation, and meditation. As the sun rises, hidden-encrypted textile patterns are revealed through photochromism. As night falls, the Pavilion glows and then transforms into an illuminated and interactive space. Integrated within the Knitwork petals are a network of antennas made from the knitted conductive yarns and connected to an analog circuit, consisting of amplifiers, filters, and converters, which couple with each other and pick up an electrical field transmitted by the central structure. The electric-field-sensing principle is akin to that of the theremin musical instrument and can also be found in certain species of fish, which perform electrolocation to navigate or sense objects or prey in their vicinity. The Knitwork antennas constantly sense our movements, as our body couples with or disrupts the electrical field distribution to drive a spatial audio and lighting network in real time, turning the Pavilion into a responsive, thereminic lantern that reflects the energy and interactions of visitors.

In support of Burning Man's push for more sustainable art, the Living Knitwork Pavilion utilized additive manufacturing of digital knitting. This method allowed for the creation of custom multi-layer textiles that are both aesthetic and functional, all while minimizing raw material use and waste. The team incorporated recycled materials in their fabrics, with 60 percent of the yarns coming from recycled plastic bottles. The pavilion also runs entirely on battery power and solar cells. The team worked together with the Solar Library, a sculptural solar panel that distributes energy to other arts on the playa, to eliminate generators and noise while promoting the use of renewable energy sources.

Facing winds that reached 36 mph this year in Burning Man, Black Rock City, the Living Knitwork Pavilion remained steadfast throughout the Burning Man event, demonstrating its resilience in extreme desert conditions.

This effort integrates advanced, tailored and functional textile skin onto a structure where various elements such as programs, patterns, geometry, human interaction, energy field, and interactive machines harmoniously coexist. With the “Living Knitwork Pavilion,” we would like to exemplify the remarkable possibilities that arise when architecture, technology and textile arts converge to bring communities together, fostering moments of collective and immersive experience.