View the ongoing activities, events, and applied research emerging from RAU, and explore the practical dimensions of contemporary textile inquiry and innovation.

RAU researchers Finn Godbolt and Arielle Walker are part of exhibition These Softly Framed: Narrative Textiles at Masterworks Gallery, 21 March – 18 April 2026. Curated by Bronwyn Lloyd, These Softly Framed "offers a selected snapshot of contemporary textile practice by nine artists. The exhibition seeks to contextualise and examine the resurgence of textile work in recent years in Aotearoa in which practitioners utilise soft materials and craft techniques such as embroidery, whatu, rug making, knitting, drawn-threadwork, patchwork, and weaving to frame stories about identity, whakapapa, gender, language, mental health, place, as well as the making process itself and the vital part that our hands play in the transformation of materials." With Fran Allison, Megan Brady, Victoria Edin, Finn Godbolt, Katharina Jaeger, Lai Lam, Kurt Payne, May Trubuhovich, and Arielle Walker. Image: Finn Godbolt, Needlework, 2026 (Merino Wool, Cherry Wood; 1700 x 1550 x 200mm)

As part of the RAU Kōrero Hour postgraduate lunchtime sessions, Finn Goldbolt presented his research The Ebbs and Flows of Ornamentation: Intersections Between Politics, Technology and Craft, exploring the historical cycles of ornamentation in Western menswear to examine how political movements, industrial technologies, and shifting ideas of masculinity contributed to the decline of decorative dress. Through practice-led experimentation with digital knitting technologies, the research reinterprets historical garment features to explore how contemporary textile production can reintroduce expressive ornamentation into menswear.    

Semester One in the School of Art and Design is in full swing for 2026, and the RAU Textiles Facility has been humming with activity as familiar faces return and new students join us for the first time. Finn and Dan have been busy inducting students from across the School  — including Fashion, Experimental Surfaces, Spatial, Visual Arts, and Postgrad — into the RAU Facility processes, and welcoming our regular users back into the fold. We are all looking forward to seeing their making ideas unfold over the coming weeks.  

The RAU team were excited to support our students at the 2025 Lexus Design Award this week! Now in its sixth year, the Award received 90 submissions from students across four universities: Auckland University of Technology, University of Auckland, Massey University of Wellington and Victoria University of Wellington, with two showcases across Te Whanganui-a-Tara and Tāmaki. A huge congratulations to all the student entries, and especially to AUT winner Oliver Lloyd, with winning project Roll a Rat (a"flat-pack biodegradable rat bait station that controls invasive rodents while dispersing native seeds to regenerate ecosystems"), and AUT runner-up Christine Botha for NiraFlow (a "greywater filter using wool to capture microplastics, protecting both human health and the environment").

AUT Industrial Design and RAU Textiles Research is proud to present the culmination of the Year Two Strong Wool paper, with the Shear Wool Power exhibition opening in Te Wai Ngutu Kākā Gallery on October 22. With thanks to our Industry Partners: Woolworks, Lisa Portas, Autex Acoustics, Wisewool, Maxwell Rodgers, Fleecegrow, Bremworth, Rubisco

As part of the 2025 Art & Design Research Showcase, Jyoti presented the development of RAU's foundational framework, setting the groundwork for the future of RAU Textile Research Centre. It was a fantastic opportunity to share with our colleagues, and to learn more about recent research undertaken throughout the School, as well as connect with our fellow Art & Design Research Centres, Virtual Creative Design and Vā Moana.

“Ko ‘etau lea, ko e fe’unu mahu’inga ia ki he mo’ui ‘a e Tonga – Our language is a vital strand of our Tongan culture.” Celebrating Tongan Language Week, PhD candidate, RAU researcher, and practitioner Sia Ngata shares with @AutPacific "how she grounds her walk and way as a Tongan. The idea of a “strand” resonates with her research and practice in craft and textile making, where contemporary ngatu and garment making serve as spaces to weave together knowledge, identity, and creative expression."

The RAU Textile Research team from AUT taught participants how to get hands-on with their very own experimental woven creation using a mini loom. This playful workshop was open to all ages and skill levels, bringing curiosity and a willingness to weave a little wonder.

As Semester Two kicks off in AUT's School of Art and Design, second year students in Experimental Surfaces and Spatial Design have been experimenting with the RAU mini looms. RAU supported lecturers Jennifer, Callum, Lucy, Nooroa, and Emma to provide mini-loom weaving workshops for their second year classes, with Arielle also sharing weaving, whatu, and material-gathering examples from her recent research alongside inspiration from Aotearoa-based makers including Kauae Raro, Mata Aho Collective, Esther Toclo, and Karen Rubado.