Joanna Berzowska, Di Mainstone: SKORPIONS: Kinetic Electronic Garments

Artist(s):

• Joanna (Joey) Maria Berzowska
• Di Mainstone

Title:

SKORPIONS: Kinetic Electronic Garments

Exhibition:

• SIGGRAPH 2008: Slow Art
• More artworks from SIGGRAPH 2008:
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Creation Year:

2008

Category:

• 3D & Sculpture

Artist Statement:

SKORPIONS are a collection of kinetic electronic garments that use the shape-memory alloy Nitinol to move and change on the body in slow, organic motions. They have anthropomorphic qualities and can be imagined as parasites that inhabit the skin of the host. They breathe and pulse, controlled by their own internal programming. They are living behavioral kinetic sculptures that exploit characteristics such as control, anticipation, and unpredictability.

SKORPIONS integrate electronic fabrics, soft electronic circuits, specially designed circuit boards, Nitinol, mechanical actuators such as magnets, and traditional textile construction technique. The cut of the pattern, the seams, and other construction details become an important component of engineering design. SKORPIONS are not interactive: their programming does not respond to sensor data. SKORPIONS shift and modulate personal and social space by imposing physical constraints on the body. They alter behavior, by hiding or revealing hidden layers, inviting others inside the protective shells of fabric, by erecting breathable walls, or tearing themselves open to divulge hidden secrets.

Sponsors:

Funded by The Canada Council for the Arts.

Contributors:

An XS Labs production by Joanna Berzowska and Di Mainstone, with Marguerite Bromley, Marcelo Coelho, David Gauthier, Francis Raymond, and Valerie Boxer.