Inspirational biomimetic artwork

I was so interested recently when I heard about Diana Eng, a fashion designer from New York City. She is a self proclaimed ‘fashion geek’ due to her love of fashion and textiles but also because she loves ‘geeky’ computer programming and technology. I love that she embraces the idea of being a geek and uses her interest in both fields to create some amazing and innovative things.

Diana Eng came to Auckland last month to be a part of AUT’s Colab Summer Workshop Series. The workshops allowed Diana to share her ideas with other creative people and inspire them to use new technology. It seems with her collections that she is interested in biomimicry, as I am with my own project. Biomimicry essentially means the imitation of life. For example, look at Eng’s collapsible structures which mimic the pleat pattern structure of a leaf when it blooms.

Watch this Campbell Live item which looks at Eng’s use of conductive thread in her clothing. The clothing also has sensing capabilities. For example, the electro luminescent wire used in a garment lights up and responds to the sound of talking. A skirt lights up when the wearer is walking.  It is amazing to see clothing that is sensing the environment around it and responding to it.  These garments are an example of smart clothing.  Another innovative item Diana Eng actually sells is a smart scarf, called the Jack Frost Scarf.  The images of snowflakes develop and become larger when the scarf is exposed to cold temperatures.  I remember hyper coloured t shirts from my childhood which seemed to work in reverse.  The fabric changed colour when exposed to heat.  I loved pressing my warm handprints to the fabric and making other patterns with hot breath or by standing in the sun.  They weren't so great though if you had hot underarms!

Eng comments that these items cannot be washed so they fail to meet some requirements we need in our everyday clothing. But that hardly matters. The items are wearable and function to cover the body in a fashionable and innovative way. Are they items of clothing or works of art?

It is inspiring to see another artist/designer collaborating with experts in fields different from their own. We can see what is possible when we come together from different fields and investigate how to combine them.

Right now, my project is really accelerating. I have successfully completed a large artwork (roughly 700 x 700mm). The artwork looks great and I am looking forward to actuating all the elements as soon as possible. I will post some video of the movements once they are working. For now, I have some photos of the static work. I hope you like it.

The artwork viewed from a short distance.  The display box is visible to see how the frames are put together.

Close up of the artwork. The artwork is jigsaw puzzle of different frames put together to create the image.

Testing the sensor!

Just before we stopped for the Christmas break, the team got together to test for the first time the camera and sensor for our interactive artwork. We set up all the necessary stuff in the workshop and we had a good play around with the camera to see how it worked.

So far, so good. The guys have done an amazing job. So far, the camera can see a person approach. It can sense when someone is far away or close. You can see in the video clips that the movement of a person near then far, turns the actuator on and off.

We did our first test on “The Pond”, a previous artwork because we know that it actuates already. We connected only one of the elements to the power, so only the shape on the right hand side is actuating.

Eventually, we will develop this concept so that the artwork is constantly actuating. It will actuate faster or slower depending on where the viewer moves in the room. If the person comes close, we can make the artwork actuate quickly. If they move away, the artwork will actuate more slowly. This is all part of how the audience reacts to the work, and how the work reacts to the audience. This will make the artwork very interesting to interact with. Essentially the artwork is ‘alive’ and responsive to the energy of the people around it.

The Stretching Rig

Hi everyone. Alot has happened since I last wrote for the blog. The year is now 2011 so I guess you’ve been wondering what we’ve been up to?  Well, we've been very busy . . .

A very major part of our project was to attempt to increase the scale of the work as much as possible. So instead of making pieces that are 14x14cm, we want to get to 1x1m or larger. I really think that the size of the artwork will be the first thing that will capture our audience and draw them in. While the small pieces were successful, you had to have a little bit of patience and a good eye to see the movement sometimes.

So that brings me to the creation of the rig. This is a tool or machine that will enable the VHB to be stretched to the size that we want. We had been using a small rig, so logic dictates that in order to make a 1x1m work, we needed a bigger rig! After several months of design, fabrication and construction, we finally have our beautiful rig.

Kit next to the rig while still under construction.

So many people are intrigued in the rig alone purely because it looks so unusual. To begin with, alot of the people at the lab at IRL thought the rig was the artwork! At least that’s what they thought until they saw me use the rig and saw the action and purpose it has.

It is such a great tool and it has already successfully allowed me to create larger work. One of our goals has definitely been achieved already! At the moment, I am encountering issues trying to get the VHB to stretch out past 50cm. I have broken so much VHB eek! Although, I have been experimenting with different sizes, seeing how much I could stretch a very small 7x7cm piece, and then 15x15cm piece. Alot of it comes down to the skill of knowing when to stop, when to adjust certain parts of the VHB or the arms. Now I have some 30x30cm VHB so this will be the type that makes it to 1x1m frame size.

                                         

I am also using different methods to ensure the material sticks to the bolts on the arms. I bought some great magnets to try to hold everything in place so I hope this method works out. I need to do some more experimenting with them now.  In the photo above you can just see them stuck to the bolts on the edge of the arms, holding the edge of the VHB in place.

     

Rig and view of the crank handle on the right side.

 

All in all, the rig has been really successful and even though it looks like I am playing the harp or weaving a tapestry, it is fun to use. The rig has a crank handle so I can turn that with one hand while I have the other hand ready to fix any breakages or tears that occur. How useful.