Sylwia Orynek

Sylwia Orynek's research interests are cross-disciplinary and sit at the intersection of textiles, craft, and computation. Her doctoral thesis, completed across the Schools of Design and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Leeds, incorporated a mixed-method approach to investigating three-dimensional textile construction. By bringing together archival study, making and scientific methods, she explored the innovative potential of craft-led methodologies and experiential knowledge in the context of sustainable textile innovation. As a result, Sylwia formulated and tested a novel approach to the systematisation of experimental craft-led textile construction methods, based on shape grammars as a visual computation framework. 

Alongside Sylwia's doctoral project, she has engaged in research from across the fields of situated creative practice and cultural education. She is especially interested in how craft- and textile-informed methodologies can be utilised in such contexts, both within and outside of academia.

As part of the LAHRI Postdoctoral Visiting Fellowship, Sylwia intends to further disseminate findings from her doctoral thesis entitled ‘A Craft-led Computational Approach to Systematising Textile Hacking Techniques’. The planned academic publication will focus on evidencing a craft-led hacking methodology as a novel approach to sustainable textile innovation. Through this, Sylwia aims to present her work in new contexts and, consequently, extend its existing contributions across the fields of textile design and craft research. 

In addition to continuing her own research, Sylwia will act as a Co-Investigator on a project led by poet and artist, Khadijah Ibrahiim, entitled ‘Textile and Text: Woven Words, Shared Histories and Creative Futures’. This SEED-funded stage of the project will explore how cloth can be read as a living document of culture, memory and belonging, through community engagement in the form of creative workshops with a local school. Sylwia's role is to contribute specialist knowledge and research expertise in textile innovation, with a focus on traditional and contemporary weaving technologies. 

Publications:

• Orynek, S., Thomas, B. and McKay, A. 2023a. Bridging craft and computation through textile-led form-finding. Textile Intersections 2023 - Design Research Society Conference, Loughborough University, London. DOI: 10.21606/TI-2023/101
• Orynek, S., Thomas, B. and McKay, A. 2023b. Prototyping a novel visual computation framework for craft-led textile design. In: EKSIG 2023 - Design Research Society, Experiential Knowledge Special Interest Group Conference, Politecnico di Milano, Milan. DOI: 10.21606/eksig2023.121
• Orynek, S., Thomas, B. and McKay, A. 2025. Textile hierarchy: a systems-led approach to hacking textile design and construction. In: ICSA2025 - International Conference on Structures and Architecture, University of Antwerp, Antwerp. DOI: 10.1201/9781003658641-57

Conferences and presentations:

• Textile Intersections 2023 - Design Research Society Conference, Loughborough University, London. 
• EKSIG 2023 - Design Research Society, Experiential Knowledge Special Interest Group Conference, Politecnico di Milano, Milan. 
• ICSA2025 - International Conference on Structures and Architecture, University of Antwerp, Antwerp. 
• Orynek S. (2022) “A Visual Computation Framework for Craft-led Textile Design.” 3rd World CAAD Ph.D. Forum, 28th International Conference of the Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia, CEPT University Faculty of Architecture. 

Teaching:

Academic Demonstrator, University of Leeds (2022-2023) - marking written coursework of 2nd Year Product Design students.

Qualifications:

• PhD, Textile Design. University of Leeds (2026) 
• MA, Textile Design. Royal College of Art, London (2020) 
• BA, Textile Design. Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton (2017)

Professional memberships:

• eCAADe (Computer Aided Architectural Design, Europe)
• The Textile Society (United Kingdom) European Textile Network
• Design Research Society (including Experiential Knowledge and Interdisciplinary Textiles Research Special Interest Groups)
• The International Association of Structures and Architecture