SARTorial: Fashion, art and technology

Nelia Justo employs a range of methods and materials in her work to produce sculptural garments and installations that engage in a dialogue between the East and West; between the language of decorative arts and electronic technologies.

Particular interest lies in the historical trade of cultural goods (such as cotton, silk, porcelain) and how they have inspired the design, styles and production of cultural artefacts in the West over many centuries. Though her work references historical decorative arts in a broad sense, emphasis predominantly lies in historical textile design and production, focusing on the cultural, technological and political environment in which they were produced. Contemporary electronic technologies have often been incorporated into her work, referencing today’s booming trade in electronic consumer goods and manufactured components. Her work is literally brought to life, as electronic systems merge symbiotically with decorative elements to create poetic artworks.

For Vivid Ideas, Nelia presents two garments. The first, inspired by Bauhaus costume design and origami. features a crystalline structure of tetrahedral forms, accompanied by an iridescent cape with raised scales. An LED matrix which runs across the dress and cape brings the ensemble to life, as a bioluminescent system. The second garment is a collision of folded angles, planes and curves which fuse together in the phosphorescence of UV light emanating from within the garment.

Zoe Mahony's current research explores collaboration, aesthetics, identity, technology and ecology through the multidisciplinary field of computational and responsive clothing. She has extensive Australian and European experience in RTW markets with roles in design, production, ethical supply chains, and marketing. She is a seasoned educator, teaching design thinking, communication, and new technologies. Recipient of the Churchill Fellowship, Mahony has written on design studio practice in England, Belgium, and France. In addition she engages in curating, exhibiting, and freelance design projects.

"For Vivid Ideas, we have gone back to our roots – the underground mycelium network that fungi use to share “data” between unrelated species – and wondered how fungi might use our methods to connect with an alien “network” – humans..."

The Mycelium Project  seeks to communicate environmental data in a non-linguistic way, through light and colour. Using sensors and embedded digital technology, Zoe's garments collect a type of data, both human and environmental which is then visualised in an array of LED lights and through an augmented reality headset. She is joined on this project by Professor Sylvain Giroux from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Sherbrooke, Canada and Melbourne-based new media artist and programmer Warren Armstrong.

Lilian Hambling graduated from UNSW Art & Design in 2016 with a Bachelor of Design in first-class honours, majoring in textiles and graphics. Her work focuses on the integration of textiles and technology, with particular interest in the use of innovative materials. Lilian was the winner of the 'Young Australian Design Award' for 2017 - awarded by the countries leading design company, Good Design Australia. She recently visited China for Beijing Design Week 2017, where she was invited to exhibit her recent fashion-tech work 'e-motion' and speak at the Inclusive Design forum.

For Vivid Ideas, Lilian collaborates with Ahmad Mollahassani,  electrical-communications engineer, technology researcher and designer to explore new possibilities for self-expression and emotive communication using a hybrid of fashion and technology. Using face detection technology, a camera embedded in the garment recognises the presence of another person’s face and responds by displaying coloured lights, showing immediate engagement. When the viewer smiles at the camera, the garment transforms again to display light animations that emulate the physical manifestation of happiness and pleasure; in other words, the garment ‘smiles back’. This facial mimicry allows us to better understand what and how others are feeling, and can strengthen socialisation. The aim of this concept is to create a positive feedback loop between viewer and garment, reinforcing the psychological idea that smiling is contagious and therapeutic.

The 2 piece womenswear garment is designed using white neoprene and stretch mesh in a ‘futuristic’ style that is inspired by uniforms in the medical/therapy fields, such as nursing.