All posts tagged fashion technology

UWL Conference 2012

I have just come back from London after doing a presentation about my research at the UWL 2012 Annual Conference.   It was well received and a couple of really interesting questions which I will give some thought to.  One question from Lesley Stevenson at the University was should I incorporate other senses into my work ie: food as part of my installations?  Eating relates directly to issues concerning body image, so this is a very interesting point… I will see how my work evolves and whether it is a viable option. Another interesting point made from a fellow PhD candidate, was why am I using female mannequins with a perfect body size? Well this again is an interesting point as I consciously did not make a choice, it was an automatic subconscious selection to integrate standard sized mannequins.  Having thought about this, I feel that at this moment in time  representing the theory in relation to the practical elements of the study, the ideal size mannequin is more appropriate to represent what is expected and sold to us.  However, later on in my PhD I may introduce plus size models or mannequins, but this will come after reflecting on the next three pieces I am building.

 

 

Conductive steel fibre… very interesting.

It is very difficult to find suppliers of conductive fabrics and threads in the UK, and I usually have to order from the states which is costly due to the postage rates. I have ordered some conductive stainless steel fibre from SparkFun which I am going to experiment with, and have found a great example of the potential application by Thomas Gerhardt who has created a Felt Resister by mixing the steel fibre with other fibres to create a felt.  Mixing the steel fibre with other fibres will obviously affect the conductivity so much experimentation will be required once it arrives…I am very excited about the possibilities of this fibre:0

Commencing new project called “The Speaking Frock”

I am currently working on testing some conductive fabrics to establish the best conductivity for my new project which is called “The Speaking Frock”  I will leave you to guess on that for the moment hopefully enticing you back for a further update.  There is some inspiration found here by the microsoft researchers exhibited at last years ISWC 2011 You are what you tweet – The Printing Dress