Nancy Tilbury infuses biological experiences into couture

Recently sent to me, Nancy Tilbury in collaboration with Visual Artists 125 Creative, has created a collection of incredibly evocative explorations that infuse biological experiences with couture. From digital cosmetics to couture that we cultivate, Tilbury visualizes what it would be like to wear living skins. 

"A Fashion Futures Film set in 2050. Couture becomes a biological experience, gowns are assembled by gas and nano-electronic-particles, where tailoring and cosmetics are constructed by 3D liquid formations, including swallowable technologies exciting the mind, body and soul through physical expression. It is a time when couture will be cultured and farmed as fashion facets of human flesh. A Fashion Futures Film to provoke...

This Film encompasses the work of Interdisciplinary Fashion Designer Nancy Tilbury and Visual Artists 125 Creative. It's narrative is formed in partnership with Philips Design, Probes Director Clive van Heerden as well as specialist concepts in the area of Living Skins with the Design for Need Expert Amanda Sleet." Continue reading on digitalskinsbodyatmospheres.

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Photos from vimeo from left to right: Cloud Gown, a dress made of gas and active nanoparts. E-Pannosa, an electrodynamic moisturiser. Ether Dress, a thinking dress activated by nanignation implants. Tendo Veluntos, swallowable couture. Abeo Eyes, electric eyes. Dynamic Varnish. Humanous Heels, cultured stilettos.

More on Nancy Tilbury.

Daan Roosegaarde explores technology and intimacy

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Daan Roosegaarde is currently an artist in residence at V2_labs in the Netherlands. He's known for his incredibly beautiful electronic works such as (one of my favorites) Dune, which consists of hundreds of flexible led-tipped stalks. Collaborating with fashion designer Maartje Dijkstra, his most recent work explores the relationship between technology and intimacy titled (logically) Intimacy.

"Intimacy, developed by Studio Roosegaarde and V2_Lab, is a project that straddles the world of fashion, wearables and the electronic arts, while exploring the relation between technology and intimacy in contemporary tech-society. The project consists of high-tech garments made with wireless, interactive technologies and smart foils, which can become transparent. The distance towards the garments determines their level of transparency, creating an intimate experience and a sensual play of disclosure. Roosegaarde’s ‘e-fashion’ works as a second skin that transforms the body of the wearer into a tangible interface. This interface acts as an emotional meter that measures and makes visible the level of transparency, disclosure and thus intimacy experienced by the user/wearer in social interaction." (source)

Continue reading on V2_Labs. Photos by Lotte Stekelenburg, model: Kimora - Jimmy Model Management, make up: Joyce Kern, images from V2_Labs.

Sticky, Stiff and Itchy generate power

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Continuing on the topic of alternative power harnessing, the latest exploration from Joanna Berzowska and the folks at Extra-Soft Labs is a series of power-generating garments titled Captain Electric. Sticky, Stiff and Itchy harness energy both passively and actively through the activity of fidgeting, fussing, stretching and pulling at our clothes.

"Using inductive generators, we convert kinetic energy from the human body into electric energy and store it within a power cell integrated into the garments. Rather than attempting to conceal the generators and their operation, we chose to overtly integrate them into the garment concept and design." (captain-electric.net)

Here's how Captain Electric describes each of the garments:

Sticky Sticky is a hooded leather dress that impedes natural body movement. The sleeves of the dress are tethered to hard shells on the chest and hips. This restriction forces the body to move in more pronounced and powerful motions, actively generating energy to fuel the dress. The accumulated power feeds a series of LEDs integrated in silicone forms sewn into the pocket, concealed from view.

Stiff Reminiscent of the posture caused by muscular stiffness, the silhouette of Stiff draws emphasis to the back and shoulders of the individual. As she pushes her back against the wall or experiences pressure on her back from another user, the energy generated activates an mp3 player and speaker integrated into the hood, which plays soothing and comforting (though often conflicting) messages.

Itchy Itchy’s tailored leather silhouette is decorated with large reconfigurable wool necklaces. The face is surrounded with layered structure, drawing attention to its features while also offering a sense of comfort and protection from other peoples’ gaze. The layering of necklaces is evocative of bulky wool turtlenecks and their itchiness compels the user to grasp them and move them back and forth on the body.

Read more on Captain Electric. Images from Captain Electric.

Lucy McRae merges fashion, technology and the body

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Artist Lucy McRae created this evocative piece titled TransNatural. Trained as a classical ballerina and also as an architect, there's no questions why she is fascinated with the human form and investigates architectural structures and engineering applied to the body.

"TransNatural is an art and design exhibition looking at the crossover between nature and technology. Opening Amsterdam at the TROUW February 19th. Image Lucy McRae. Photo Maarten Willemstein. www.multiplexart.nl" (source)

Read more on McRae's site.

Architecting a sleeping suit

Architect Forrest Jessee is dabbling in architecture structures applied to garments in this gorgeous and cocoon-like functional pattern. "Inspired by Buckminster Fuller’s practice of Dymaxion Sleeping, which involves four segments of half-hour naps every six hours, Jessee redefined the sleeping ritual while challenging the roles of private and public space by designing the portable Sleep Suit. Structural pleats made of EVA foam which absorbs shock in sports equipment is used to “dress” or contain the body much like a sleeping bag. By testing and recording sleeping positions, areas of comfort and discomfort are identified, and thus determined the thickness of the foam where the support is needed. I can’t help but be reminded of the napping challenges endured by taking on the benches, crates, floors and chairs during my architecture school days." (source)

View all the photos and read more about this project on Pleat Farm.

A performance installation based on tradition

This performance piece was just sent to me from Miya Masaoka called LED KIMONO. Thanks for sending it in Miya! It's a beautiful performance piece based on the historical context of Kimono wearing traditions.

In college, Miya studied with Gagaku master Suenobu Togi Sensei, which played a big part in influencing this project. Here's how she describes her experience: "I learned that in gagaku music, one wears kimonos as they did in the Heian Dynasty – loosely flowing and without the restrictive wide Obi belt around the waste. I thought it was interesting how the style of kimono was reflected in the musical attitudes of the performers of traditional Japanese music over the last few hundred years.

The LED KIMONO PROJECT is a new light/sound instrument/costume. [It] consists of a single handmade sleeve, embroidered with 444 LED’s (light emitting diodes that respond to musical and physical conditions and act at times as a low-resolution monitor interpreting live video. The images represented on the sleeve, derived from traditional kimono patterns, are responsive to and mapped to specified parameters of sound. My mother’s family for centuries dyed kimono fabric in the river in Kurume, Japan. These patterns are based on traditional Kurume patterns." (Miya)

The LED KIMONO will also be presented at the New York Electronic Festival, and Siggraph in Yokohama, Japan 2009.

Image from ecouterre