Design for the 1951 Crystal Design Project for the Festival of Britain

Design in dye-line print on paper of a pattern based upon a cell structure diagram

Given by the Council of Industrial Design

Polyethylene (IUPAC name polyethene) is a thermoplastic commodity heavily used in consumer products. It is a polymer consisting of long chains of the monomer ethylene (IUPAC name ethene). The recommended scientific name 'polyethene' is systematically derived from the scientific name of the monomer. In certain circumstances it is useful to use a structure–based nomenclature. In such cases IUPAC recommends poly(methylene). The difference is due to the 'opening up' of the monomer's double bond upon polymerisation.

In the polymer industry the name is sometimes shortened to PE, in a manner similar to that by which other polymers like polypropylene and polystyrene are shortened to PP and PS, respectively. In the United Kingdom the polymer is commonly called polythene, although this is not recognised scientifically.

X-ray crystallography involved projecting a narrow beam of X-rays on to crystalline material. Photographs were then taken of the diffracted X-rays, and the resulting lines or spots were used to plot ‘maps’ indicating the relationships between atoms. For the first time ever it enabled scientist to work out the structure of atoms within molecules. Britain was a world leader in the field of crystallography and during the post war period this was one of the most significant and stimulating branches of science.

Sir William Henry Bragg and his son William were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1915 for the invention of X-ray crystallography. This new science enabled the first drawings of the arrangement of atoms within molecules. It was particularly developed as one of the most significant and exciting branches of science during the late 1940s and put Britain at the cutting edge of international research. In 1946 Dr Helen Megaw, a Crystallographer (Crystallography – a study of the structure of matter) suggested that the patterns made by X-ray crystallography could be used as a fresh source of inspiration for wallpaper and fabric designers. The patterns were considered particularly appropriate for use in textile design because of their repetitive symmetry and natural beauty.

The Festival of Britain held in 1951 provided new opportunities for textile design and manufacture. This diagram of Polythene, a thermoplastic polymer widely used for rigid and flexible packaging, is one of a group of crystal structure drawings that inspired textiles made by the Festival Pattern Group for the event. The idea of patterns inspired by science was perfect for the theme of the Festival which had been planned as a ‘combined exhibition of science, technology and industrial design’.

CIRC.78C-1968