Julia C. Reitzer  
Research in design and ancient materials










I.
Profile


I. 1
Information
 My name is Julia Claire Reitzer. I am a designer and currently pursuing an interdisciplinary PhD at the intersection of design and the study of ancient materials.

I also work as an independent graphic designer and a weaver. My practice gradually shifted toward the field of textiles following an artistic residency. I am particularly interested in their archaeo-textile dimensions.

My research is now developed within the framework of a doctoral program. It combines reconstruction, speculation, and critical reflection.

I am based between Paris and the Saclay plateau.
Portfolio available upon request.

PhD.


I. 2
Research framework
My research is conducted at the École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay. It takes place between the Centre de recherche en design and the Laboratoire PPSM.

The project is co-supervised by the designer James Auger, the physical chemist Loïc Bertrand, and the engineer Christophe Leynadier. It is supported by the Région Île-de-France and by the company Mihaly.

During my research, I have also received guidance and training from several specialists. These include the designer Côme Touvay, the archaeologist Christophe Moulherat, the historian Suzanne Lassalle, the anthropologist Sophie Desrosiers, the archaeo-weaver Marie-Pierre Puybaret, and the archaeo-botanist Marie Marquet.


I. 3
Research topic
Title : Speculating the past. Exploring the uncertainties of archaeological textile fragments.

Abstract: This research examines how knowledge is produced when it engages with objects of study marked by historical gaps and material vulnerability. Focusing on archaeological textile fragments from the site of Creney-le-Paradis, I explore how to work with these gaps and how to materialize certain aspects of the past. The aim is to generate “objective possibilities.” This involves structuring and giving form to ongoing hypotheses, based on existing scientific evidence. To achieve this, the research draws on methods from speculative design. These methods help open up a field of possibilities in the face of uncertainty. This approach differs from traditional historical reconstruction methods, such as experimental archaeology. It does not seek to validate hypotheses. Instead, it presents possible interpretations and highlights research in progress. It is particularly relevant in contexts where truth is out of reach. In such cases, only a form of “reasoned speculation” allows inquiry to continue. The project takes the form of a practice-based design research project. It is structured around a fictional experimental framework that I currently call the Fragmentarium.














II.
Work


II. A. 
Textile knowledge and practices




II. A. 1. 
Protohistoric techniques and practices
Prototype of a warp-weighted loom, in its low-cost version, before its new version in collboration with students and specialists. 





II. A. 2.
Inventory of the studied corpus of fragments
99 micro-fragments of mineralized archaeological textiles (Hallstatt Iron Age, 800–500 BC, Hallstatt culture, Creney-le-Paradis, Aube, France).





II. A. 3. 
Coordination of textile workshops
Organization of workshops focused on weaving; analytical exercises (weave structures, materials), practical work (horizontal loom, vertical loom, backstrap loom), and instrumental investigations (microscope-based analysis).





II. 5.
Dyeing practices

 Dyeing processes based on a single source: madder (Rubia tinctorum). Exploration of possible outcomes based on constraints specific to a given period, context, and established historical evidence.



II. 7. 
Textile creation and artistic residency.
Halo project led by the design collective Hélios (Julia Reitzer, Willina Sossou, Léontine Pigot, Éloïse Ravet).


II. B.
Digital and analytical practices




II. B. 1.
Analysis of textile structures

Analysis of mineralized textile structures using a Keyence digital microscope.






II. B. 2.
Digitization of textile pieces

Photogrammetric digitization, using equipment provided by Mihaly (PhD partner), of a corpus of ancient Japanese textiles from the Corentin De Sade collection.





II. B. 3
Augmented reproduction
Large-scale reproduction project of a micro-fragment of textile using Keyence and Mihaly equipment in progress.



II. C.
Research contributions and project coordination




II. C. 1. 
Coordination of interdisciplinary seminars“Experimenting at the time of finitude” is an interdisciplinary research seminar on knowledge production, particularly when experimental processes engage with the vulnerability of the materials from which data is derived. All other seminar projects are listed in this CV.



II. C. 2.
Oral and written contributions
 Conference paper for the French Association for the Study of Textiles (AFET), AFET, Nancy, 2024.
All other conferences and publications are listed in this CV.




II. C. 3.
Visual identity of research events
Visual identity for the international conference “Design, Narrative and Literary Theories”, through the lens of the work of Pierre Bayard. Portfolio available upon request.













III.
Resume


III. 1
Professional background
I graduated from the École Estienne, the Ensaama, the Cnam, and Université Paris-Saclay in France. I worked within the network of the Franco-Swiss designer Ruedi Baur. I completed an artistic residency at the Manufacture des Gobelins (textiles) and the Mobilier national. 

Full CV available upon request.
Since 2023PhD candidate in design and ancient materials
École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay (ENS Paris-Saclay), France –  PhD contract, full-time

Since 2021Independent designer
Freelance (for universities, research events, etc)

01—02.2022Teacher in design
Olivier-de-Serres or École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués et des Métiers d’Art (Ensaama), Paris, France. – Part-time

2022—2023 Visitor services and mediation officer
Galerie Dior and Musée d’Art Moderne, Paris, France – Part-time.

 2020—2022Graphic designer — Ruedi Baur network
 Integral designers, dix–milliards–humains, civic city (ruedi-vera-baur.eu), Paris, France. – Full-time, 2 years.

2020—2021Member of the Helios collective
 Pavillon d’Angivillier, Paris, France. 

06—08.2018Graphic designer – Yoshiaki Irobe
 Irobe Design Institute, Nippon Design Center, (irobe.ndc.co.jp), Ginza, Tokyo, Japan. – Full-time,.


I. 2  
Education
Since 2025PhD candidate representative
 Centre de recherche en design (ENS Paris-Saclay / ENSCI les Ateliers), France

Since 2023PhD candidate in design and ancient materials
École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay (ENS Paris-Saclay), France –  PhD contract, full-time
09 — 11.2024Weaving loom certification
École nationale supérieure de création industrielle (ENSCI Les Ateliers), Paris, France.
2022—2023Master’s degree (M2) in research in design
École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay, France.
01—04.2022Certificate in social anthropology
University of Oxford, United Kingdom (online)

2020—2021Master’s degree (M2) in creation, project and transdisciplinarity
Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (CNAM), Conférence des écoles supérieures d’arts appliqués de Paris (Césaap), Ecole Boulle, Duperré, Estienne, Ensaama, Campus des Métiers d’Art & Design.
2018—2020Master’s degree (DSAA) in transmedia
 Olivier-de-Serres, ou École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués et des Métiers d’Art (Ensaama), Paris, France.

02 — 07. 2019Erasmus exchange, MSc in graphic design
Politecnico di Milano, Scuola del Design, Campus Bovisa, Milan, Italy.2015—2017Two-year technical degree (BTS) in graphic design and printed media
École Estienne, ou École supérieure des arts et industries graphiques (ESAIG), Paris, France.
2012—2015Baccalauréat (STD2A) applied arts
Lycée Claude Nicolas Ledoux, Vincennes, France.


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