#digitalskins

I don’t know enough about the themes at hand yet to know whether or not this title makes sense however it reads a lot like the research I’ve done so far.What that introductory statement means is since starting my journey into Studio III’s themes I’ve found myself inundated by what can only be described as academic competition where the entry requirement is based on who can write the most philosophical word journey as possible. This is not a criticism of the ideas at hand however an expression of frustration at the lack of grounded information within these themes. Though after spending more time within the themes provided I understand why. Coming from a more technical background I enjoy reading and researching about what something is at it’s core. I’ve found this to be difficult within the context of the Anthropocene and especially trans/post-humanism. Though as said earlier I do understand why. After spending multiple hours watching, reading and swimming through academic videos/texts and futurist interpretations I’ve found that there is no “core” to these ideas as it hasn’t quite been figured out yet. Though we are lucky to be in the time where some of these ideas have been realised, at least in an elementary form. As some argue we are already, to a point, post-human. I have decided that it must not be easy proposing a new idea and I can imagine it is even more difficult to get everyone to agree on what it is. Especially when commentary on the idea in this day and age transcends the walls of the institution who may have got there first. Anyone can effectively write a paper and whack a post-human label onto it, for example. This leaves the responsibility of understanding to the reader which can be frustrating however it is but one of the factors of being a dealer of the future. Moving forward (a better term would be “deeper”) into these ideas I was met with a mix of optimistic technologists throwing around the claim that we need to accelerate towards becoming post-human and of doubtful critiques who would do well to slow us down on our road to a technophiliac’s wet dream. This has been refreshing as it allows me to really make up my mind on where I stand within these ideas and there is no shortage of information from both sides. 

The Anthropocene

This idea is one I thought I would have heard of and don’t understand why I haven’t. After reading more about it I found that it probably has been highlighted in the past though in a way that has highlighted the causes and results of this era rather than the era itself. The term itself I found is only really popular within science and academic circles. The way we would have heard about this time is through more harsher headlines centred around rising ocean temperatures, climate change and carbon footprints. 

I believe the Anthropocene to be an important idea in itself. I have decided to not spend any time on the position on whether or not the Anthropocene is in-fact a real geological era. For the sake of this paper and my own research I’ve decided to accept the Anthropocene as a real period of time we are in. This is not because I am throwing aside what it takes to distinguish an actual geological time period however I believe the idea to be important whether it is or isn’t a protected scientific term. 

The Anthropocene, in summary, is the period in human existence where we have almost complete agency over our own existence and biosphere. This is important to note as many times in history we don’t discover or understand concepts like these until afterwards. Being able to see and know about the Anthropocene in real-time gives us an incredible opportunity to shape the future we want. This specifically is what drove me to really like the whole idea. 

“[It] will be another strong reminder to the general public that we are now having undeniable impacts on the environment at the scale of the planet as a whole, so much so that a new geological epoch has begun.

” - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-is-the-anthropocene-and-are-we-in-it-164801414/

Driving factors of this proposed era are technological advancement, industrialisation, urbanisation and population increase. To sustain the quality of living we in the western world have become so accustomed to is unsustainable within our current mode of operation. We need to radically change how we live if we want to see our planet environmentally flourish in generations to come. 

The fact we are aware of our own impact on the Earth is the first step in humanity working together on new solutions to reverse damage and help make the impact of the Anthropocene positive. 

Post-Humanism

Oribotics Fabric Folding Process - Part 1: Creating the larger-scaled paper moulds

The week prior, I had been practising and learning how to do the Miura ori pleats as accurately, perfect & crisp as possible. The success of this mould was entirely dependent on my level of expertise on Miura Ori Folds; so it was crucial this understanding was mastered. 

For this task, I was assigned the role of folding and Gina was in charge of supporting + helping, two sets of hands were needed to create such a massive mould. (Most ideal to start with valleys and continue pattern throughout.)

Process

Measured the final digitally printed fabric: (roughly 2.3m x 1.2 m): Aka: The final measurement of our paper moulds. 

Measurements were transferred using pencil markings onto a long roll of plain white paper then cut, to create bases for our 2 moulds. 

Mountains and valleys were marked. 

Using the same technique from our our prior A4 sheets of paper; I folded each row according to the ‘thickness’ of pleats in our dress. 

Paper was flipped each time a new row was created, using our fingers to fold each individual crease and other arms to control opposite side.

This was repeated for the process of folding the entire sheet. 

After 2 days of working non-stop for 10 hours, the moulds were complete. 

——————————————————————————————

Limitations, Outcome

In all honesty, although simple to the eye- it was one of the most difficult tasks in my lifetime. It was arduous, finicky and time-consuming. The weight/curvature of the paper would tear or bend the folds.

Width and row thickness was specifically noted as it would create the shape and look of our final skirt. (Initially we had chosen to use coarser, brown paper but ideally, we wanted the least flammable material for this purpose.)

I hadn’t realised the limitations once a large-scaled size was introduced; it changed the overall structure of the paper so folding became an almost impossible task. 

This semester was a challenging one. Mainly because I decided to take an extra paper while taking on a massive studio project. What made this studio different was the fact that it focused greatly on the final costume/product, giving more pressure to actually complete something. The fact that we would be submitting to the Wearable Arts, increased this pressure. I saw this as a positive thing as it meant that we solved problems quickly to move on, we thought about how feasible it would be, we completed it to a high standard, and it meant that our work would be branching outside of Colab.

In terms of conceptual and contextual ideas, I am thoroughly satisfied with the research behind the costume and how the costume reflects this. I don’t think we could have added more ideas to the garment but we could have researched into the increase of air pollution so that it addressed environmental issues today.  

I am happy with how the final costume looked. This was mainly due to the fact that we made sure all the circuitry and physical elements were all cleanly presented. We took no chances with the tech, making sure everything was solid while Harriet focused on the non-tech physical elements.

As a group we looked extremely well together. We kept in constant contact through meetings, facebook and a shared Google Drive. This meant that we were all on the same page 24/7. In the future I may want to only take one role instead of multiple. For this project I was in charge of visual/concepts and the tech. These two are my main areas of work and I know that as creative technologists we use multiple fields, but in a group I feel like I should have just remained as one role.

A bonus side of this project was getting pre-selected for WoW. We hope that we get into the actual show and possibly win some awards. I definitely plan to enter next year with two garments.