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

Knitted stretch sensing

Hannah Perner-Wilson of Pulsea has been exploring knitted stretch sensing. She's got a great photoset here that documents her experiments. I wonder how accurate the sensors ended up being. She is also exploring a circular knitting machine. I can't wait to see if and when she'll make some machine-made knitted stretch sensors.

See related post: Stretch Sensing Creates a New Aesthetic

Diana Eng launches Fairytale Fashion

DIY wearable technology expert Diana Eng has launched a site called Fairytale Fashion in collaboration with Eyebeam. Here's how she describes the work: "Fairytale Fashion is using technology to create a collection of magical clothing in real life (with blooming flowers, transforming shapes, changing colors, etc.) for Feb. 2010. We share our work in weekly research and development web videos. You can help us create the designs by answering the design question at the end of each video."

Check out some of her interesting videos here and start getting some hands-on experience with some of the materials that she's exploring.

Amy Thompson creates Plastic Analogue

This collection was recently sent to me by my friends at n-ktr. This gorgeously functional, yet slightly unwearable collection called Plastic Analogue created by Amy Thompson instantly reminded me of an analog version of the wearable robotic device that Honda has been investigating. Each piece is mechanical, exposing the function, joints, and seams as the aesthetic centerpiece. What would happen if this type of aesthetic was applied to the work that Honda is doing?

Read the post on Honda's wearable robotic device.

Smart Fabrics 2009 Conference Review

This review by the folks at Innovation in Textiles of the 5th annual Smart Fabrics Conference that took place in Rome this year is definitely worth the read for anyone who is interested in wearables. In a nutshell, the newly forming eTextile business sector is rapidly developing legs outside of research, educational institutions, and DIY enthusiasts toward consumer products and mass markets. Read the full review

Stretch sensing creates a new aesthetic

I ran across this project while researching stretch sensing technology that is all the buzz right now. This gorgeous project, Aeolia, integrates stretch sensing directly into fabrics. "Each of the back forms incorporates the Merlin stretch sensor into an aesthetic exploration of textile technique mapped to the body." source What's interesting about this exploration is that the circuitry itself is integrated so beautifully and seamlessly into the fabric, that it creates a completely new aesthetic that also has the potential to fit comfortably and flexibly against the body. I would love to get my hands on a sample!

Whatch videos that demonstrate the material here.