October 19, 2005
PRE-WEARABLES
I've always had an interest in fashion and art. For my undergrate BFA exhibition I created a line of "Body Wear". I would consider these pieces to be mixed-media wearable art forms making a social commentary on media and the fashion industry.
______________________________________
I continued to explore the transient nature of the body to address societies obsession with weight, body mastery, and idealized physical beauty. For my ITP Physical Computing class project I created an inflatable body form. The size of the form was determined by the wearer's weight.
more info at Gloria's Pcomp Journal
Posted by ges3 at 07:23 PM | Comments (0)
MASKS (assignment 1)
Mask 1: "Inner Self"
This mask represents a state of inner anxiety and depression. The appearance of the mask is supposed to reference the well known paintings of Edvard Munch. I am also alluding to a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman entitled "The Yellow Wallpaper". http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Charlotte_Perkins_Gilman/The_Yellow_Wallpaper/index.html
________________________________________
Mask 2: "Outer Self"
This masks represents an attempt to hide our emotions with a stoic expression. It is minimalist and expressionless. Ultimately it fails as an emotional shield due to its translucency. No matter how we may try, our inner emotions are usually revealed on some level. aside...Check out "Emotions Revealed" by Paul Ekman. He's been doing research since the 60's on the universality of facial expressions. http://www.paulekman.com/
Posted by ges3 at 08:59 PM | Comments (0)
DREAM ITEM (assignment 2)
I've noticed how New York career women wear sneakers with their business suits during their commute to work and carry their heels in a bag. Here I propose a shoe that can serve as both a comfortable walking shoe and a classy pump with the use of a retractable heel. This got me thinking about a line of transitional clothing - casual to office to party wear. An outfit that changes with you as you go through your busy day!
Posted by ges3 at 09:18 PM | Comments (0)
IDEA FOR FINAL
"Counter-Surveillance Head Dress"
Demanding a moment of privacy in a "big-brother" world. The head dress will allow the wearer to momentarily zap a surveillance camera with a laser and hide under a reflective cloth.
Posted by ges3 at 09:31 PM | Comments (0)
November 02, 2005
Materials For Final
I'm still looking into materials. I have requested a sample of mirror-like infrared reflective fabric but haven't had any luck. My other options would be to use a mylar emergency blanket available at sporting goods stores or purchase some fabric that is at least somewhat reflective to give the idea.
Emergency Blanket
Todd helped me break open a laser pointer. The diode compartment is rather large. I don't want something that is going to stick out so much. I would like it to be as flat as possible against the forhead. Online I have come across a couple of Micro Laser Modules. I'm trying to locate a US distributer.
Posted by ges3 at 08:07 PM
LINKS
Surveillance
With the advent of cheap and powerful new technologies, and the ever-increasing collection of data about our activities and our lives, mass surveillance has become easier than ever.
Unfortunately, the threat of terrorism has prompted many Americans to embrace sharp increases in government surveillance over our private lives. Too many people think we can stop terrorism by monitoring all the hundreds of millions of people who live in America, and by removing the legal safeguards that protect us against government spying.
The rush to surveillance is doubly tragic: not only does it threaten our privacy, but it is likely to sap resources from other, more effective measures that actually would make us safer.
ACLu on Surveillance
The Patriot Act (a call for reform)
Racial Profiling in the Age of Terrorism
Slices of Black Life: Racial Profiling at JCPenney
Schneier's Weblog about Surveillance
How to ZAP a Camera: Using Lasers to Temporarily Neutralize Camera Sensors
Video Camera Detectors on the market
>
Posted by ges3 at 08:46 PM
November 03, 2005
Revised Sketch for Final Project
My thought is to use conductive ribbon attached to the laser diode module. It would run down the head and neck to a switch on a vest between the shoulder and chest. You would press to activate switch then move had downward to larger pocket housing fabric. Then you would pull the fabric and wrapp it around the head.
Posted by ges3 at 09:20 PM
Posted by ges3 at 09:39 PM
November 17, 2005
Electronic Gestures
exploring light as a gesture expressive of emotion
Posted by ges3 at 08:20 PM
December 12, 2005
Counter-Surveillance Headdress
After the Sept. 11th 2001, trade center incident surveillance in New York City and in the United States in general, increased dramatically. We are at a point today where it is difficult be present anywhere without our image being captured by some camera or our presence being tracked or documented in some way. Although to some extent this is necessary to ensure security, on the other hand it infringes on a person’s right to privacy. The purpose of the “Counter-Surveillance Headdress” is to empower the wearer by allowing him/her to claim a moment of privacy.
The design of the headdress borrows from Islamic and Hindu fashion. The reason behind this is to comment on the racial profiling of Arab and Arab-looking citizens that occurred post-9/11. Unfortunately the fear of terrorism led to the targeting of those of non-western decent. Therefore in its design my headdress is a contradiction; meaning although it’s goal is to hide the wearer it would make the wearer a target of heightened surveillance.
The “Counter-Surveillance Headdress” is a laser tikka (forehead ornament) attached to a hooded vest and reflective shawl. The laser is activated by pressing a button enclosed in the left shoulder area of the vest. When pointed directly into a camera lens, the laser creates a burst of light masking the wearer’s face. Additionally the wearer can use the reflective cloth to cover the face and head. The aluminized material protects the wearer by reflecting any infrared radiation and also disguises the wearer by visually reflecting the surroundings, rendering the wearer’s identity anonymous.
A special thank you to the following for the donation of materials.
Ed Bringas, Tom Igoe and Gary Schober for the laser pointers. Despina Papadopoulos for the conductive ribbon. Gentex corp. for the Dual Mirror aluminized fabric (http://www.gentexcorp.com).
For more information on “camera zapping” with lasers, visit Michael Naimark’s website (http://www.naimark.net/projects/zap/howto.html).
Posted by ges3 at 09:27 PM