Front dress
Detail: Electronics housed in a pocket at the back
Office Dress (2010) is an artistic exploration that visualises the energy and tension stored during an inactive day in front of the computer screen.
The work incorporates photonics fibres – a new, light-emitting material – into a wearable artwork, and is a contribution to the collection of interactive electronic garments for the research project Karma Chameleon at XSLabs, lead by Joanna Berzowska. A key inspiration for the use of digitally engineered printed fabric was the Alexander McQueen's 2010 Ready-to-wear collection.
Description: Office Dress harnesses the kinetic energy and body tension from office work and releases it in the form of light when the work day is over. The lower back of the dress is augmented with a padded cushion. While at work, the cushion is flipped up to support the lumbar region. The repetitive movements of office work build up energy during the day. When the office worker can no longer bear the tension, she gets up from her chair and flips the padded cushion down to accentuate the traditional tailored silhouette of the dress. The action releases the stored energy, resulting in a burst of light that travels through the front neckline of the dress.
Detail: Photonic fibres pictured here (transparent plastic-like tubes running diagonally). They have the ability to illuminate in various colours.
Back dress: Upper back holds electronics in backpack-like pocket. Lower back lumbar cushion is in the down position. When up, the energy builds. When down, the energy is released and a burst of light forms at front of the dress.
The silk fabric is printed with patterns taken from close-ups of an LCD monitor (which is what the wearer is sitting in front of during her work day). When viewed up close through the lens of a camera, the screen produces these rainbow moirés and dynamic distortions.