Fantasy Device- The Real Thing

I choose to create a device that would change my work environment. As I do a lot a research and writing for my thesis, I found myself spending hours in front of my computer. I would have my walls, ceiling and floor made of LED screen to project a desired environment. On my device, I choose a country, a city, an environment, and temperature. I can preview the 360 degrees panorama on a little screen before applying it to the entire room. With this device, I don't have to move and travel, with my studio to get inspired. I can change my environment depending on my mood and my work.

LAb 2

Potentiometer and LED



I ordered a Flex sensor and a “One Wire Digital Temperature” Sensor on “Sparkfun”. I can’t wait to try them.

Fantasy Device

I have been thinking about what would be my fantasy device for the past couple days. I made a list of ideas:

-I don’t like making decisions in general. When I wake up in the morning, I would love to have a device that would pick my “outfit of the day”. It would have to read the outside temperature, my mood and my schedule. Then it would provide photos of all the items from my wardrobe for that day.

-I always want to write notes on myself. I like to be organized, and I am always afraid to forget things. Maybe I could have a scarf that listen to my voice and write in conductive ink my thoughts and notes so I just have to look at my scarf to remember instead of pulling a pen and a piece of paper every time. I couldn’t just record my voice because I am very visual and I need to see to remember.

-Maybe mechanism that would make my bed in the morning.

-Sometimes, I would like to just travel for few hours and come back. When I am researching online, even if we have so much information I would like to teleport myself to the location I am looking at on the web.

-With the problems in the figure skating marking system, that would be good to have a device that would grade your jumps and spins. The device would be on your skates. It would measure your speed, the height and the length of your jumps, number of rotations and the landing. For the spin, it would measure the number of spin, your position, your flexibility…etc. Judges would have to judge the artistic and other things out the technicality.

-I have been dreaming of a device that would change the thread on my sewing machine. I would have to scan the fabric, then it would recognize the color and prepare the plain and the Overlock machine for me (like home depot paint).

-Be able to change my environment. I would love to have LED screen on each wall and ceiling of my apartment. I would be able to change environment by just pressing a button. It would then recreate a 3D environment all around me. Ie. I want to be in the Amazon, I want to be by the beach…..

-I would like to create a dress that says “hi” to everyone that passes.

LAb

Here are some tutorials I did to get familiar with the basic of Arduino.


First: Light up a LED:





Second: Make a LED blink. The first few times I did it, it blinked a few times and then stopped. I finally looked at Arduino control structures (on their website)and figured it out.




These are just very basic labs as an introduction to physical computing. I have never learned about circuits and electricity, so that should be interesting.

Body Scanning

I am really interested in new biology and physicality in fashion, the way our body relates to clothing. I think new technologies make us more aware of our body. In the 21st century, global concerns have become individual concerns. Instantaneous communications make the world a smaller place. People are looking for something that’s less about conformity and more individuality. This process allows you to scan, distort, print, stitch, and construct. There seems to have a need for custom clothing. It would be interesting to look at how we not only produce, but how we consume and present fashion in the 21st century.

What is body scanning?

There have been recent advances in 3D full body scanning technologies with applications to the fashion and apparel industry. This device scans your entire body and then the data are collected to create sewing patterns. It was first used to improve sizing systems in fashion Apparel companies.

Recently, 3-d body scan has been used by accessory and jewelery designers. The 3d is transformed into a 2d pattern and they use this pattern to make personal jewels in different materials.
Here is the work of Amy Congdon



Artists, not only sculptors, use scan data to create 3d clothing sculpture.
Mashallah Design & Linda Kostowski


Dries verbruggen: http://www.designboom.com/eng/cool/dries.html
The computer brings a new concept of geometry, a new digital way to see all angles on a human body. The programs allow us to reconstruct or construct an extension of our body. The cloth, as well as the body becomes the medium of the art work. It also brings the notion of perfection –imperfection, and fashion and deformity.

What is the problem?
The population might be concern about identity protection / personal issues.
Is body scanning a new emerging art medium that bring concerns in terms of identity?
Will custom clothing, accessories, art, become global customization?
Is fashion technology a positive evolution?

FashionCamp and IMC Studios

Last weekend, I attended the “Fashioncamp” at ITP in New York City. I was really interested to see what’s new in terms of wearable technology. After attending to two seminars, I realized that everybody was presenting and talking about wearable technologies as new commercial products, and not as a mean of artistic expression. As a fashion/costume designer, human expression is the main goal of my work. I believe that new technologies bring us closer to out inner self.

I also went to see the IMC exposition at their studio on Morton Street in the Greenwich Village. The exposition explored how our relationships to our cities and to each other are being completely transformed by new media. Focusing on cutting-edge interactive billboards, immersive environments, video games, 3D maps, video art, and mobile technology, the exposition featured media art and innovative technologies, many of which can be controlled by the audience via body movement, voice, and cell phone.

Here is their website: http://www.imcexpo.net/?page_id=10

I had the chance to see the interactive light Sculpture by Jason Krugman, “Fireflies”.

And the work of Celina Alvarado.

http://celinaalvarado.com/?i=1