WORKSHOP | Design Your Own Wearable E-Textiles with Wearable Bits
Artist: Lee Jones
Thursday, October 24 and Friday, October 25, 2019
(attendance to both sessions is mandatory)
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Workshop in English
Free | Registration is required
At Studio XX
FULL
In her research, Lee Jones seeks to demystify the use of electronic textiles and smart clothing through a combination of artisanal and electronic techniques. Thanks to conductive yarns, it is now possible to sew, weave and knit flexible electronic components directly into clothing. Within a workshop setting, the artist will introduce participants to the creation of clothing that measures touch, movement and posture. They will produce electronic textile samples and a garment prototype that combines prefabricated and handmade components.
A light snack will be served. To register: ateliers@studioxx.org
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Soft Connexions / Connexions souples
Connecting us to the world, increasing our human potential, communicating with our environment: technological developments are putting us in touch with our surroundings in many ways, whether subtle and invisible or physical and concrete. “Wearable technologies,” made from electronic textiles, are one aspect of this connection to the world, in which the interrelation between space and the beings, materials and objects within it builds a dynamic of reciprocity. Nonetheless, electronic textiles remain a complex field of investigation and creation, usually requiring diverse and sophisticated knowledge, interdisciplinary group training and multiple fields of expertise. As such, these technologies are not normally accessible by the general public.
The Wearable Bits project from Canadian artist and researcher Lee Jones aims to demystify the creation of electronic textiles and intelligent clothing, countering the common perception that it requires prior knowledge of sewing, garment-making, electronics, robotics, interactivity, etc. On the premise that facilitating the prototype stage unleashes imagination and creativity, Lee Jones has created a toolkit by which participants can explore the potential of wearable technologies. The workshop offers people with no experience in electronics or e-textiles the chance to build their own prototypes for intelligent clothing. Made from pieces of felt that are quick and easy to assemble, along with diagrams of electronic elements and their functions, the Wearable Bits are presented as puzzle pieces that participants can put together as they choose. The final form therefore depends on the design in mind.
The artisanal dimension of the workshop—a kind of speculative collage—stimulates the sense of exploration and invention inherent in creative projects. During the workshop, participants design and create e-textile samples, as well as a prototype garment that combines prefabricated and handmade components. Creating textiles that measure the touch, movement and posture of their wearer serves to (de)construct some of the preconceived ideas around clothing and how we wear it.
Nathalie Bachand
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Lee Jones is an artist, design researcher and PhD student interested in wearable technologies and e-textiles. She holds regular workshops on smart clothing and soft circuits.
Nathalie Bachand is a writer and curator. She is interested in the issues of digital technology and its conditions of emergence in contemporary art.