Cooper-Hewitt will present “Extreme Textiles: Designing for High Performance,” the first museum exhibition devoted to the subject of technical textiles – highly engineered materials designed for ultimate performance in extreme conditions – on April 8. The exhibition will present more than 150 textile applications from a wide range of areas, including architecture, apparel, medicine, transportation, aerospace and the environment.

“The goal of this exhibition is to reveal the incredible breadth of areas in which textiles are being used and to provide inspiration for new approaches to design,” said Matilda McQuaid, exhibitions curator and head of Cooper-Hewitt’s textile department. “In addition, the exhibition will share the intrinsic beauty of technical textiles and acknowledge the enormous influence they have in our lives.”

The objects featured in the exhibition will be organized in terms of their high performance characteristics – safer, stronger, lighter, faster, smarter – and displayed throughout the museum campus, including the first- and second-floor exhibition galleries, the Great Hal and the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden.

“Extreme Textiles” will explore the recent advancements in technical textiles and reference the museum’s own textile collection in order to illustrate historical examples of textile structures and techniques – such as weaving, knitting, braiding and embroidery – that continue to be used in the most pioneering textiles today.

These age-old techniques, in combination with the tremendous advances in the fields of science and engineering, have contributed to the production of textiles that are more dynamic and versatile than ever before. Developments in polymer technology have resulted in fibers that are stronger than steel, but retain textiles’ traditional advantage of flexibility. These extraordinary new fibers are employed in a number of high-performance situations, ranging from the strongest rope ever fabricated, the Marlow Super Line, which features a break load of 2,000 tons; woven shipping containers that transport millions of ton of raw materials, pharmaceuticals and food stuffs around the world; and soft polyester slings, capable of lifting 50 tons, that are replacing steel chains for heavy lifting.

The emergence of smart textiles, which incorporate computer and telecommunication technologies, allow for a wealth of new responsive devices, especially in the apparel and home furnishings industries. Examples of smart textiles on display will include touch-on light switches made out of pom-poms, tassels of fur and an interactive, playful musical rope installation by Squid:Labs that will explore the idea of smart cables or ropes that can track and self-monitor exerted stress/strain loads. The US Army’s Objective Force Warrior Program integrates electronic systems into the basic soldier uniform, enabling the possibility of undergarments that continuously monitor the vital signs of the wearer.

These revolutionary innovations and achievements in textile design and engineering have forged partnerships in the fields of science, industry and design. “Extreme Textiles” reveals how technical textiles have already become an integral part of daily life and forecasts how textiles will undoubtedly continue to shape lives in the future.

“Extreme Textiles” will be on view until January 15, 2006. The Cooper-Hewitt is at 2 East 91 Street. For information, 212-849-8400 or www.cooperhewitt.org.