Addressing the unexpected

ABSTRACT

My research strives to examine clothing as an instrument for creative social encounters. It is my strong belief that the natural tactility of a wearable structure and its' proximity to the body hold great possibility for intuitive play. A hands-on choreography of fashion, technology, and performance, my work aims to explore this theory, through the pro-active assembly of body-centric modules and the physical exploration of textiles.

Utilizing the body as a tangible landscape, I employ both manual and electronic devices designed to unleash curiosity in the wearer and those around them. Using combinations of tailoring, upholstery, origami and electronics, I create tactile interfaces that reveal hidden narratives through the exploration of the wearer. Rarely viewed solely on the body, the work is often found hidden in portable boxes, concealed in urban cupboards, or merged with the city's landscape. Ripe for discovery, it must be exposed, unpacked, assembled, and then mastered. To become a virtuoso of each wearable device, we must be social, inquisitive, playful, and intrepid.

I use digital fabrication methods such as the laser cutter and 3d printers alongside traditional fashion and upholstery techniques to create reconfigurable body-centric landscapes. Blending soft malleable textiles with robust industrial materials more associated with architecture and furniture design, I create ambiguous structures that are both foreign and familiar to their inquisitors. Through cross-disciplinary collaboration, I connect with musicians, dancers, filmmakers, architects and scientists. Diving beyond my own pool of expertise allows the work to grow through the sharing and harvesting of new skills, knowledge and working methodologies.

A recent example of my approach is 'Sharewear', a project implemented at the V2 Institute in Rotterdam, which explores openings for playful connectivity within the public realm. The work comprises of a pair of reconfigurable, electronic dresses that are housed in wooden boxes, and left in public space to be unpacked and assembled. On discovering these containers, inquisitive pioneers are invited to construct their own portable space around the body by manipulating a series of soft, upholstered modules. Unleashing potential for intimate chance encounters, these squashy components can physically slot together to activate pools of light. Through this interaction, they invite participants to get close, lean on one another, morph space and cast long shadows.

This research focus is being further developed with a project entitled 'Municipal Instruments', implemented as part of my residency at Eyebeam Art and Technology Center in New York City. The project aims to remix the behavior of urban inhabitants through a series of wearable musical devices intended to be found, assembled, worn, and shared within public space. Their curvilinear structures, which naturally conform to the body, aim to entice experimental play. The output of this interaction will be an urban symphony, composed from the orchestral reverberations of the city and its inhabitants. Through these and other material explorations, I have become focused on the links between hands-on assembly, creative movement, and communal experience, via the malleable landscape of textiles and technology. Throughout this process, it is my aim to unleash an unexpected sequence of events for those who choose to observe, discover, play, and connect.

Index Terms

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