Research
Learning about wearable extensions through the videos of Lucy McRae, Neil Harbisson, and Viktoria Modesta opened up my mind about what body extensions can be, the form they can take, the function of them, and the messages they can send. In Lucy McRae’s talk, she discussed augmenting the human body to surpass its own natural evolution. This brings me back to my own concept of humans as animals, and how far we have evolved from other animals but how close we still are. I came up with two concepts based on this.
The first concept is to create some type of garment that accentuates and emphasizes various aspects of the human form to be more like our relatives, the other great apes. This would mean exaggerated musculature, especially in the forearm and calf areas. The idea behind this would be an aesthetics, functional, and conceptual one. The form would be an interesting and unique garment silhouette, the function would be to make the human form more intimidation (which is a useful evolutionary trait), and the message would be to bridge the gap between humans and other animals.
The second concept is also inspired by these talks. Moths, for example, have patterns on their wings that resemble eyes, in order to intimidate and ward off predators. Humans also use this concept in a slightly different form in India. Villagers in areas that are prone to tiger attacks would wear masks on the back of their heads, as tigers are less likely to attack when their victim is looking at them. These worked well for a couple years but soon the tigers figured out the deception. I would create a garment or wearable form that would seek to combat this more effectively. This too would have formal qualities and function as an intimidation evolutionary suit.
Sources:
https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-tigers-wont-attack-a-human-who-is-looking-at-them
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/why-do-butterflies-have-eyespots.html
https://www.ted.com/talks/lucy_mcrae_how_can_technology_transform_the_human_body?language=en
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fiSAXr4UME
Mood Board
Concept Sketches
Design Proposal
I plan to make a garment that is has unique aesthetics but also functions as an extension of human evolution. The function that I would like to incorporate into my wearable extension is the factor of intimidation. Intimidation is useful for warding off predators and is thus a useful survival trait. In making a garment that amplifies this, I hope to surpass our natural course of evolution in similar ways that Lucy McRae discussed in her TED Talk.
Ideation
Process
First time using a sewing machine
Making patterns
Cut out patterns
Mockup to test size, a bit small
Beginning the final form by ruching the back
Just the forearm sleeves, collar, and zipper left !
Testing sleeve
Almost done — just the collar left !
Model Photos
Styling shots
Technical Drawing
Reflection
This project was extremely rewarding for me. It felt like a natural extension of my Project 1: Exoskeleton piece. In Project 1, I had a chance to learn to hand sew and to weave. This was my first time working with textiles, which was a main educational goal I had when coming to Parsons. In Project 2, I learned more complex hand sewing techniques through Professor Courtney Puckett’s sewing workshop, and then I learned to use the sewing machine. This was an intimidating task for me, and I spent many hours struggling with it, such as forgetting to put the foot down and ending up tangling thread inside the machine, or struggling to get the bobbin thread to come through the bobbin, or breaking the sewing needles because of my thick fabric. These challenges were a lot of fun though, because each time I learned a new quirk in the machine or technique of the process, I felt like I was getting better at it. I was also able to prove that I knew how to use the machine when I taught River how to use it for his wallet project.
Each step of the process seemed to go wrong for me. For example, I bought a lovely zipper from Mood Fabrics and sewed it onto the jacket quite nicely, only to realize it was not a separating zipper. I then had to find a new zipper at a trimming store, but most trimming stores are closed on Sundays, so I walked around the Garment District until I happened upon an open shop. Just small things like this frustrated me throughout the process, but I do not view this as a bad thing. I think 3D design in general has many steps that need specific techniques, knowledge, and skill to do successfully, and the fact that I have a completed jacket now is a physical manifestation of the work and frustrations that I have had. This makes it all the more rewarding.
In terms of the actual outcome of the project, I think my concept was effective. The jacket does accentuate and emphasize the ape form. However, as this is my first time creating a garment, it certainly does not look perfect. There are many craft issues, such as wobbly seams, the uneven collar, etcetera, despite me trying very hard to be precise about everything. I take a lot of pride in my work, and so seeing some of these things be slightly off or imperfect was hard for me to cope with. At the end of the day though, I have to remind myself that I am not a professional or even a student fashion designer. This project was the very first time I had stepped into a fabric store, the first time I had learned to use a sewing machine, and the first time I even learned what patterns are. Taking all this into account, even though it is not perfect, I think I was very successful, and I am glad I attempted something so far out of my comfort zone. I feel like this project really gave me a chance to grow as a multimedia designer.
