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Proceedings of the 3rd Biennial Research Through Design Conference

Kettley, S., Townsend, K., Walker, S. & Glazzard, M. 2017. ‘Electric Corset: an approach to wearables innovation’. In: Proceedings of the 3rd Biennial Research Through Design Conference, 22-24 March 2017, Edinburgh, UK, Article 31, pp. 486-500. DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.4747027.

Electric Corset: an approach to wearables innovationSarah Kettley, Katherine Townsend, Sarah Walker, and Martha Glazzard

the authors.

Abstract:Onecriticismofelectronictextilesandwearabletechnologyisthatinsteadofbeingintegratedintothemodernwardrobe,theelectronicgarmentisperceivedasthe‘other’,asan‘unusual’itemwithinthewardrobe.Contemporaryfashionisafieldofplayinwhichindividualsconstantlymanagepersonalexpressionsofsocialbelongingandtransgression,atthesametimeasitclosesdownthepotentialfornewformsasaresultofincreasinglyfastfashionsupplychains.TheElectricCorsetprojectproposesthattheuptakeofwearablesiscompromisedwhendevelopmentisbasedonmoderncategoriesofdress/dressing,andproposesthatdesignerslooktoobsoleteand‘in-between’itemsofdress

torethinkthefoundationsofwearablesdevelopment.IncollaborationwithNottinghamMuseumsandGalleriesCostumeandTextilesCollection,wehavereproducedasmallselectionofsuchitems,andrecastthemas‘sacrificial’toilestoprovideanon-preciousbasisforembodiedexperimentation.Thepaperdescribessomeofthebarrierstoinnovationinwearabletechnologies,andframesourapproachthroughthetwinconceptsofdeconstructionandreconstructioninfashiontheory.Itreportsonourexperiencesofembodiedresponsestothetoileswithinthemakingprocess,andpresentsearlyfindingsfromapilotstudyusingimprovisation.

SarahKettley1,KatherineTownsend2,SarahWalker,andMarthaGlazzard

NottinghamTrentUniversity,Nottingham,UK1sarah.kettley@ntu.ac.uk,2katherine.townsend@ntu.ac.uk

Keywords:archivalresearch;wearabletechnology;electronictextiles;interactiondesign;fashion;categoriesofdress

ElectricCorset:anapproachtowearablesinnovation

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Kettley,Townsend,Walker,Glazzard|TheElectricCorset;layeringtoiles,paperimagesandelectroniccomponentsforcreativewearablesinspiration

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IntroductionThispaperreportsonanongoingproject,TheElectricCorsetandOtherFutureHistories,establishedbytheauthorsin2014.ThetitlewasinspiredbyalateadvertforDrScott’selectriccorsetsfrom1883,designedusing‘scientificprinciples’andpoweredelectro-magneticallytoenhancehealthandwellbeing(ArtandPictureCollection2014).BasedonParisiancorsetmodels(fashion)andpoweredbyEnglishelectricity(technology),thishistoricalartifactprovidesastrongmetaphorforwearabletechnologyandtheaimsoftheprojecttodevelopnovel,interdisciplinarymethodologiesforwearablesinnovation.Theprojectrespondstotheneedforthedesignerlyintegrationofelectronictextileswithwearableconceptdesign,optimisingboththeaestheticpotentialof,forexample,surfaceembroidery,ande-textilefunctionality.Todatetheuptakeofwearabletechnologyasfashionhasprovedproblematic,withsmartgarmentsandaccessoriesthatperformparticularfunctionsoftenbeingseenasgimmicky,andrestrictedlargelytotheredcarpet,stage,ornichesportsmarkets.Oneofthereasonswehaveidentifiedforthislackofmainstream,‘everyday’success,istheassumptionthatawearableshouldcompriseawholesystem(input-processing-output)inonegarment,whichthenbecomesexperiencedas‘other’inthecontemporarywardrobe.Ingeneral,today’sfashionsystempresentslimitedscopeforinterventions;thepopularisationofT-shirtsandjeansthroughmassculture,thepracticalturninwomen’sclothing,theriseofunisexand‘classless’styles(Laver1995),allcontributetothestreamliningofhigh

streetsilhouettesandoutfitsthatmerelysimulatefunctionalitythroughfauxpocketsandbuttonstandsforexample,inthenameofnarrowmarginsandamodernistaesthetic.Thedesigningoutofconstructeddetailsandmodularityhasresultedinfeweropportunitiesfordesignerstoconvincinglycontextualisetechnicalenhancements.Itisforthisreasonthatwearelookingtopastcategoriesofdressandpracticesofwear,toinspireandhelpusidentifypotentialspacesbetweenthebodyandclothing,whereactions,objectsandtechnologycanco-exist.Basedonthispremise,theauthorsareworkingwithhistoricalgarmentsandfashionitemsfromtheCostumeandTextilesCollectionheldbyNottinghamCityMuseumsandGalleriesatNewsteadAbbey,Nottinghamshire(Figure1).

Thispaperisorganisedinfivesections;thefirstcontextualisestheareaofwearables,throughreferencestocreativeresearchpracticerelatingtofashionandtechnologyandtheconceptualframeworkofdeconstructionandreconstruction.Thefollowingthreesectionsdocumentour‘researchthroughdesign’practice.InTheRoleofTheArchive,wecoverinitialvisitstothecostumeandtextilescollectionundertheguidanceofthecurator(Figure1),theensuingcreativeideationprocessbasedonvisualresearch(drawing,photographs,video)(featureimage),thecouturepracticeofmoulage(draping,workingdirectlywithcomplexformsonthebody)(Figure2),andthecreationofaninstallationcomprisedofvisualisationsofwearablesandhistoricalartifactsshownintheexhibitionCraftingAnatomies(2015).Sectionthreereportsonfollowupvisitstothearchive,

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andtheselectionandreplicationofitemstoproduce‘sacrificialtoiles’(Figures3and4);thissectiondescribesourownembodiedresponsestothemakingprocess,andreflectsonwhatitmadepossible.Thefourthsectiondepictshowpockettoileswerefurtherdevelopedtodrivetheintegrationofinteractiondesignconcepts(Figure5),contextsofuse,andsuggestcreativetechnologicalsolutions.Finally,wereportonapilot

studyandoutlineperformativeevaluationmethodsforfurtherwork.

WearablesandtheCreativeProcessThedesignof‘wearabletechnology’canbeaparadox,asthewearableandtechnologicalaspectsareoftendesignedseparately,resultinginelectronictextilecomponentsthatoperateindependentlyfromperceivedandactualwearingpractices.Theintegrationoftechnologywithatriedandtestedfashionitemcanconstitutea‘decorative’approach,wheretheelectronicelementisviewedasanenhancementofthegarment‘canvas’(Townsend2011).Thebringingtogetheroftwocontrastingtechnicalconceptscanresultinprototypesthataremoreartwork,thanafunctioningitemofclothing.In2005,Steadidentifiedtheneedforfurtherresearchfroma‘fashionperspective’tobeundertakenintheemergingareaofintegratingsmartmaterialsandelectronicswiththebodythroughtheprojectTheEmotionalWardrobe.Theresearchexploredfashion’scapacitytobeemotionallyexpressivethroughtheaddedinterfaceoftechnologyfacilitatedviathe‘AffectiveWare’platform,developedthroughamulti-disciplinaryframeworkcombiningfashion,materialscienceandreal-time,affectivecomputing(Stead2005).Thisworkshiftedtheemphasisonwearabletechnologytobeinformedbyhuman-computerinteraction,towards‘amorepoetic…computer-aided,human–humancommunication.’RickardLindqvist’sresearchinto‘kineticgarmentconstruction’(2015)isbasedontheinteractionsthatoccurbetweendrapingthemovingbodyincloth,andhowthiscaninformtheshaping

Figure1.FromthearchiveatNewsteadAbbey:footman’sliverywithgoldbraid,andaselectionofcollars.Photocredit:KatherineTownsend.

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andcuttingoffashionthataccommodatesbodilyexpression,asopposedtobasingstylesonpreconceivedprinciples.Lindqvist’smethodology‘challengesthefundamentalrelationshipbetweendress,garmentconstruction,andthebody,workingfromthebodyoutward,asopposedtothemethodsthatarebasedontheprevalentparadigmofthetailoringmatrix,whichworkfromtheoutsidetowardthebody(Lindqvist2015:6).Thisreverse-engineeringapproach(Ibid.p.104)isalsobasisofhiscollaborativelabel,Atatacwhichchallengesexistingmodesofdesigning,visualisingandproducingfashionbymakingeachstageoftheprocesstransparent(Atatac2016).Thisphilosophyraisesparallelswithdeconstructedfashion-howshiftingtheacceptedparametersofthefashionsystembyexposingtherawingredientsandinherentprocesses(body,gesture,materials,making)canleadtoadifferentkindoffashion/technology,whichismoreresponsivetothehumancondition.MartinMargiela’sinterpretationof‘timeandthebody’isevidencedthroughthehistoryofagarment,made‘visiblethroughtheexternalisationoftheproductionprocess’(Verhelst&Debo2008:8);hisuseofreplicaarchetypalWesterngarments,suchasthetrenchcoat,tuxedo,whiteblouse,andjeans,hasparallelswiththisproject’sreimaginingofpastdresscodesinanewcontext,whileLindqvist’sdeconstructionofthearchetypeitselfinformsoureclecticapproachtothearchive,andthecreationofnewnarrativesthroughtheuseof‘in-between’things,whicheludesimplecategorisationasgarment,jewelleryoraccessory.

Theteamincludedadigitalprintandfashiondesigner,adigitaljewellerandinteractiondesignerwithtextile-basedwearablesexperience,amixedmediatextiledesignerwithe-textileexperience,aknitexpertwithe-textileexperience,apatterncutterwithcollaborativeexperienceonwearablesprojects,andavisitinginteractiondesignartistfromanotherproject.Notonlydidweseeopportunitiesforthedevelopmentofawearablesdesignapproachinformedbydifferentculturesofdress,butwealsounderstoodtheneedforourselvestocontinuedevelopinghands-onembodiedknowledgeofthematerialsoffashion,physicalcomputingandwearabletechnology,thatis,tocontinueworkingtowardsinterdisciplinaryratherthanmerelymultidisciplinarycollaborativepractice(Kettleyetal2015).

TheRoleoftheArchiveThetitlefortheprojectwasbasedonanadvertisementforaVictorian‘electriccorset’,whichrepresentedawearableinnovationfromthepast.Theoriginalaimoftheresearch/practicewastodemonstratethewealthofhistoricalartifactsandreferencesavailabletodesignersofsmarttextilesandwearabletechnologiesbyconsideringtheanatomyofdressasacatalystforfuturewearabledesignsthroughanannotatedphysicalanthologyofhistoricalartifactsandspeculativeprototypes(Kettleyetal2015).Aprocessofselectionwasinitiatedinlate2014/early2015throughvisitingandstudyingitemsheldbyNottinghamMuseumsandGalleriesCostumeandTextilesCollection(basedatNewsteadAbbey)in

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collaborationwiththecuratorofCostumeandDress,JudithEdgar.AsmallcollectionofpieceswaschosenforexhibitionaspartofCraftingAnatomies(2015)(featureimage);thesepiecescomprisedawhitetwill(‘jean’)woman’scorset(jumps)(1800-1810),awoman’sdresscollar,embellishedwithshellsandglassbeads(1920-30),threedetachablemen’sstarchedlinenshirtcollars(1850-1952)andafootman’sliverycoat(1890-1910).Aspartofthisengagementwiththearchive,themesbegantoemergewhichwebelievecouldinformnoveldesignprocessesforfuturewearables,includingfunctionality,careandmaintenance,detailsdenotingclassandidentity,andmodularityandlayering(Kettleyetal2015).Thegarmentsintheexhibitionwereaccompaniedbyafilmthatcommunicatedtheresearchmethodologythroughstillimages,shortvideoclipsandquotations.Thecontentincludedphotographsofthegarmentsandaccessories(takeninthearchive)anddocumentationoftheprocessofexperimentalideation,or‘play’inspiredbytheconstructionanddecorativedetailsoftheitems(Glazzardetal2014).Forexample,theboningandten-holelacingofthecorset;buttons,fastenings,pocketsanddecorativecordingofthefootman’sjacketandcollarshapesinspired2Ddrawings,collagesandmaterialsketchesandassemblages.3Dpartialgarmentswere‘moulaged’(DuburgandvanderTol2008)byworkingonthehalfandfull-sizemannequinsusingclothmanipulation,stitching,smartelementssuchasbasiccircuitsincorporatingLilyPad(Arduino)andSMA’s(shapememoryalloys)(featureimageandFigure2).Thiscrafts-drivencreativeprototypingemployssomeoftheprinciplesofKettley’s‘foundationsofcraft’,whichinclude:‘riskand

visuallanguage’,‘extendingmaterial’andthe‘internalizationofmaterial’(2012).Italsoprioritiseshandmakingasa‘wayin’totheprogramminganduseofdigitaltools(TaylorandTownsend2014).

Figure2.‘Moulage’processonthestandwithmixedmediaandelectronics.Photocredit:WalkerandTownsend.

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Embodiedresponsesinresearchthroughmaking:fromuntouchableto‘sacrificial’materialsfordesignAnarchiveisaninactiveplace,fullofstillness,andthingsdecontextualisedandheldinstasis,waitingtobebroughtbackintoplay(Latour2007);weseeinthesethingscluesandopportunitiesforfuturedresspractices(Entwistle2000).However,thingstakenfromarchivesareprecious,oftenfragile,andhandledwithkidglovesandwrappedinacidfreepaper.Inaccessingthesethingswefoundthatwehadnohands-oninteractionwiththegarments,butexperiencedthemvirtuallythroughthehandsofthecurators.Wethereforeneededtodevelopourownphysicalinstantiationssothatwecouldplayfullyrecombinegarmentpiecesandambiguouswearableobjectswithoutfearofdamage.Thispaperfocusesonthecreationofthesedeliberately‘sacrificial’toiles,andourembodiedresponsestothem.

Inthecontextofwearablesdevelopment,‘sacrificial’isusedtoremindourselvestobeplayful,andthattoiles,evenwhentheyhavefunctionality,arenon-precious,andseenasstartingpointsratherthanendsinthemselves.Thischallengesconventionaldesignpracticesinwhichatangibleoutcomeisusuallyrequired,orheldasafinalproduct.

Thisapproachsharessimilaritieswithcreativityexercisesinotherfields,suchasmakingsketchesonlytothendestroythem(infoundationartanddesignstudies),oreventhemetaphoricalthrowingawayofresearchquestions(inpractice-baseddoctoraltraining).Itcertainlysitsinoppositiontotheperceivedvalue,ifnotreverencefor,theinvestmentoftimeandfinancialcostingettingphysicalcircuitstoworkinwearablesdevelopment(asanaside,thesilversmith/jewellerontheteamseemstofindthislessproblematic,perhapsbeingmoreaccustomedtoworkingwith‘precious’materials).

BuildingontheCraftingAnatomiesexhibition(2015)moulagestage,thefirststepwastorecreatetheselected‘in-between’thingsfromthearchiveastoiles.Secondly,bylookingatthepointswherepartsofgarmentsattachtoeachotherandwherethingslayeronthebody,wecanbegintomapthepointsatwhich,throughinteraction,thewearerdefinesboththeirexpressionandtheirfunction(Figure3).Thisapproachhasthepotentialtoinformtheplacementandconstructionofelectromechanicalcontactpoints,whichcouldincludee-broiderytechniques,softswitches,andcreativeuseofhaberdasheryandjewelleryfindings.

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Inmaking,allthetoileswere‘baggedout’,toprovidespacesforelectroniccomponentstohide;theresearchers’experiencesonrelatedprojectsinformedshareddiscussionsduringthemakingprocess,aboutpossibleconnections,sensorsandswitchtypesthattheformsbroughttomind.Wesawpotentialinlacecollarsforcapacitiveswitchesbasedontouch,withproposalsformixingconductiveinksandnon-conductiveyarns(Figure4).Achatelainebecameasortof‘plugandplay’wearable,lashedupwithinterchangeableobjectseachhavingadefinedfunction(‘lash-up’isusedincircuitdesigntorefertoquickanddirtytestingmethods,suchasusingcrocodileclips).Theoriginalincludesapincushion,eternalcalendarandembroideryscissors;anelectronicversionmightbethoughtofasaphysicalanalogyoftheappsonasmartphone,orincludetheitemsthatwouldbeneededtomaintainawearablesystem–batteries,sparepressstudsandminiaturesewingkit(Figure4).Twooftheresearchersmadeshortvideosofthemselvesputtingthingson,andthinkingthroughactionandinteraction.Fourworkshopswereorganisedamongstthemakers,buildingideasandwaysofmockinguptheapplicationofelectronicsandcircuitstotheforms.Asimplecapacitivesensorwascreated,forexample,usingpinsandconductivefabrictogetherwithanIglooboard(Microsemi2016).CrocodileclipsandVelcrowereusedtoprototypedifferentplacementlayoutsacross(andwithin)garments,andwiththelargerpocketandthesleevetoiles.Problemswithpinningelectronicsformockingupwereovercomeby‘working

Figure3.‘Sacrificialtoiles’:Thepocketarchetypetakesontwodifferentpersonalities(‘generous’and‘neat’)asaresultoftheirconstruction,suggestingfunctionallyandqualitativelydifferentinteractionconcepts.Toprow:whenfilled,thecircuitinthegenerouspocketcircuitisbrokentolighttheLED.Bottomrow:theconductivefabricringcompletesdifferentcircuitsinsidetheneatpockettolightdifferentLEDs.Photo:SarahWalker.

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backwards’andrevisitingthemulti-medialayeringtechniquesdevelopedinthefirststageoftheproject,andconceptsweresavedand

communicatedusingphotographsandvideorecordings.

Atthispointhowever,werecognisedthedangerofbeingcaughtupinissueswiththeelectronicssuchasdevelopingnewprogrammingskills,andgettingmicrocontrollerstoworkproperly,whenthequestionsweremoreabouthowitemsarewornandinteractedwithonthebody.Tobringtheprojectbackontrack,theteamdiscussedtwopossiblewaysforward:eitherwecouldrecreateawholeoutfit,demonstratingconnectionsandlayerswhichcouldbedevelopedasconnectorsinelectronicsystems,orwecouldfocusonthetoileswehadmade,andexplicitlyusethemtoorientourthinking.Ameetingwasorganised,atwhichallthetoilesandmock-upswerelaidoutforhandlingwhiletalking.

Thismadeahugedifferencetoourabilitytoshareknowledge,andtorespondinanembodiedwaytothematerialsandformsofthepieces,ratherthanourownpreconceptionsofwhatwearablesshouldbelike.Asaresult,thedecisionwasmadetofocusthenextpartofournovelmethodologyonembodiedinteractionswiththetwopockettoiles,oneofwhichfeltgenerousandbaggy,andtheother,flatandneat,almost‘prissy’(Figure3).Wefeltthelargerformalmostaskedtobefilledfullupwiththings,whiletheflatpocketsuggestedquiteaflat,slidingmotionofthehandintoit,againstthebody.Inturn,thisledustothinkaboutwhatkindofcircuitsmightbeinvolved;thusweproposethattheconstructionofdifferentphysicalformsofthesamearchetype(inthiscasethe

Figure4.‘Sacrificialtoiles’:(toprow)lacecollarinspiredcapacitiveswitchusingconductiveink;(bottomrow)chatelainewithpincushion,embroideryscissorsandperpetualcalendar,and‘lash-up’usingIglooprocessorboardandcrocodileclips,towhichdifferentsensorsoroutputscouldbeconnected.ChatelaineswerecommoninthenineteenthCenturyandwerewornclaspedatthewaist;usefulitemsweresuspendedonchainsfromtheclasp.Photo:WalkerandGlazzard.

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pocket),cansuggestdifferentbody-ledinteractiondesignconcepts,whichinturndetermineexpressivefunctionalityandthearrangementofelectroniccomponents.

Thiswasaprocessofabstraction,oftakingthewornthingoutofitsnormalcontext,inordertoexploreitsownmaterialityphenomenologically,withoutpreconceptionsasfaraspossible.Itwaseffectivelyaprocessfor‘makingstrange’,ofdefamiliarisingourselveswiththem,inordertoseethemafresh,orevenatall.Thistacticcanbeseeninethnographicpractices,usedtoovercomeresearcherblindnesstoover-familiarsituations(deJong,Kamsteeg&Ybema2013);indeed,thetacticcanalsobeseendevelopedinSituationistartpracticessuchasdérive,inEuropeinthe20thCentury(Ejsing-Duun2016).Inremovingtheconceptualmodelwebringtotheinteraction,wecreatethespacefornewreconstructionsofmeaninganduse.Inthecaseofthepockets,forexample,werealisedthatwemightbetalkingaboutnotonlymaking,butbreakingcircuitconnections.Simplecircuits,withoutprocessors,weremadewiththepocketforms.

Figure3showsthese:thefirstisthelarger,‘generous’pocket,withacollectionofthingsthattobeaccumulatedwithinit–whenitgetsfull(ofnon-conductiveobjects),thecircuitisbroken,andthereisanoutput(anLED,fordemonstrationpurposes);thesecondistheflatterpocket,whichisactivatedbyasecondwearableartifact,asimpleringofconductivematerial,whichclosesacircuit.

Thesenowdemonstratethepotentialofthesamearchetypalform–thepocket–toinspiredifferentinteractiondesignandphysicalcomputingdesignconceptsandspecificationsthroughembodiedresponsestosimple‘sacrificial’toiles.Importantly,asthemethodologycontinuestodevelop,thetoiles,invariousstatesofelectroniccomplexity,needtoremain‘sacrificial’sothatwecanworkwithotherpeople.

Wenowreportonthepilotstudythatusedmovementandperformativemethodssothatthecreativeplayfulnessofthe‘designers’istransferredintoacontextthatsupportsthecreativityofthewearer.

ProvisionalFindingsfromaPilotStudy

Wewereinfluencedatthisstageby‘PotatoTheatre’,‘ObjectTheatre’andImprovisationintheatrepractice,aswaysinwhichnewandunexpectednarrativescanbeconstructedinrelationwithobjects(Buur&Friis2015,Johnstone1989).Eachoftheseformsoftheatrecraftaimto“encouragetherediscoveryoftheimaginativeresponse”toobjects,andtohumanrelationswithandthroughobjects(Johnstone1989:9).SuchapproacheshavebeenemerginginInteractionDesignforsometime,andWalkerattendedarecentdoctoralsummerschoolattheDesignSchoolKolding,toexperiencePotatoTheatrefirsthand.

Totrialthesemethods,threefellowresearcherswereinvitedtoplaywiththeobjectsinrelationtotheirbodies,toexplorewaysofwearingthemandtalkaloudabouthowtheyfelt,andwhattypesofinteractionor

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functionalitytheyimagined(Figure5).Theserespondentshadarangeofexperienceintextiledesign,wearablesmarketresearchanddevelopment.Questionssuchas“WhatshouldIdowiththis?”and“Howdoesitconnectwiththebody?”wereposedasstartingpointsandtherespondentswerevideorecorded.Therespondentsdidnotknowwhattoexpect,andbroughttheirownperspectivesstronglytobearonthesequestions.Forexample,oneindividualdiscussedeverythingfromastylingandfashioncommunicationsperspective,whileanother(theembroiderer)respondedtothetexturesandsurfaces.

Themainthemestoemergeincludeobservationsonmannerisms,gesturesanddemeanour,whichappeartobeaffectedbytheformsandinteractionsofthetoilesandmock-ups;andemotionaldimensionsofbodypostureandwhatGoffman(1959)termed‘givenoff’impressionsoftheselfinsocialsituations.Forexample,onerespondentdescribedstandingwithaclenchedfistinthelargerpocketbecauseshefeltshy.

Figure5isanattempttocapturethemovementsdifferentformsaskthewearertomake–totieafastening,ortoaccesstheopeningofthepocket–orthedemeanourstheyaffordonceonthebody,suchasstandingwithhandsonhips.

Althoughtheseareinterestingstartingpoints,wearenotconvincedthatwemanagedto“breakpatternsandcomeupwithyetunknownideasandsolutions”(Buur&Friis2015:4).Wearethereforekeentodevelopthemethodsfurther,byworkingwiththeatrepractitioners.Theframinganddirectionofimprovisationandobject-basedworkareskillswerecognisewedonothave,andsoaoneweekcreativeworkshopisplannedinthefinalweekofMarch2017withcollaboratorsfromtheAcademyoftheArts,Amsterdam,andcolleaguesfromtheDesignforPerformanceprogrammeattheauthors’owninstitution.

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ReflectionsandfutureworkIncontemporaryfashionandthecontextofthecontemporarywardrobewehavebeenunabletofindenoughpotentialtoanimatethecreativedressactsofthefuture.Thispaperpresentedanovelmethodologyforthedesignleddevelopmentofwearablesthatmighthelptoaddressthisissue,throughworkingwitharchives,deconstructingandreconstructinggarmentsand‘in-between’garmentsthroughtheuseof‘sacrificial’toiles,defamiliarisationtechniques,andpotentially,improvisationaltechniquesforevaluativenarrativeconstructionwithwearers.Thevalueofembodiedmakingpracticesishighlightedthroughtheuseofasinglearchetypewearableform(thepocket)withquitedifferentpersonalities,interactions,demeanoursandsubsequentphysicalcomputingspecifications.Finally,themethodologypresentsaviablewayofworkingwithvisualandtactileconceptsofcrafttofurtherthefieldofwearablesdesign,andpre-emptstheinventionandavailabilityofspecifictechnologiesbyconsideringidentityandexpressionasfunctionsofclothingandadornment.Webelieveitcouldmakewearablesmorefeasibletoproduce,astheybecomemodular,with‘plugandplay’functionality,andtherebycontributetotheinnovationprocessandeverydaytake-upofwearablesandelectronictextiles.

Justastherespondentsinthepilotresearchbasedtheirresponsesintheirownfields,sohavewefoundourselvesatonceimplicitlyboundedbyourownexperience,andunderimaginedpressuretomakecomplex

Figure5.Dressingworkshopswithrespondents;exploringexpressionandfunctionalpotentialthroughthebodyanddemeanour.Analysingwheretheobjectsaretouchedandmanipulatedwhenworn.Photo:SarahWalker.

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circuitswheretheyareunnecessary.Weareawareof,andhaveexperiencedhackinginthemoretraditionalsense,whereelectronicproductsaretorndownandrecombined,andoneoftheauthorsisamemberofthelocalHackspace.Wehavetriedtoextendthismindsetthroughoutthedesignprocesstoincludeallmaterials–theinspirationalhistoricgarments,thepatterncutting,andtoiles,andeventhebody.Wearestrivingtokeeponopeningupeachstepoftheprocessinordertodevelopthecreativemethodology,ratherthanarrivingatobjectsthatareendsinthemselves.Thisisdifficultwhenthetechnologyisquitenewtosomeofus,orwhenitfeelstoo‘precious’orevenbeautifultohack.Thenextstepsincludeasetofdeconstructedshirt-dressformsthatcanbereconstructedtocreatevariationsonacircuit.ThesearetobeshownatRTD2017,whenwewilltestaseconditerationofourframingofusers’improvisationalinteractionwiththeshirt-dresses,beforetakingthemtothetheatremethodsworkshopattheendofMarch.Wedonotclaiminsightsforthewiderdesigncommunityfromourapproach,ascreative,lateralthinking,andreframingtechniquesarenotnewinthisfield;however,perhapsourworkwilldemonstratehowquicklywearableshavebecomethoughtofasonlywristorhead-worn,andcharacterisedbytheformallanguageofindustrialdesign,andanarrowuse-valueapproachtoanexpressivedesignopportunity.

AcknowledgementsTheauthorswouldliketothankJudithEdgar,curatorattheNottinghamMuseumsandGalleriesCostumeandTextilesCollectionatNewsteadAbbey.TheworkwassupportedbyQualityRelatedfundingatNottinghamTrentUniversity.

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