project update

[a complete turnaround]

scope, well-revised

well, i've decided to go the capricious route and completely change my project design. 'submergence' had its fans, yes, but i've chosen to submit that to the ars electronica next idea application and allow it to simmer within the throes of conceptual art. the heart-rate thing seemed to be too close for comfort and, incidentally, i haven't had much luck procuring affordable heart rate monitors to tinker with.

the next next idea: quilted pixels. i'm fascinated with custom fabricated textiles + clothing, and moving the invisible digital back into the physical realm. i've been playing with this idea of fabric that is not decorated externally (i.e. silkscreening, iron-on, stitching), but rather has its decoration potential installed internally, as an all-in-one package. the material itself could provide creative resource and decorative possibility to the wearer; the control shifts from the manufacturer and choice-limiter to the consumer as creator.

scenario plays as such: one purchases a stash of 'blank' apparel or accessories, such as one would get white paper. an image could be acquired by the user, either by directly downloading an image to the garment (akin to choosing + ordering a specific ringtone for your phone), capturing an image through a camera (akin to recording a real-time sound as a ringtone), or creating your own image through a drawing pixel program (akin to creation via ringtone composer). after specifying the image + position + color (in an ideal scnario), the wearer inputs the data into the garment and the fabric then dyes itself through pixels that bleed the appropriate colors.

a strong point of this design is that the image would be permanently stained onto the clothing. the fabric isn't merely a dynamic display; it's a conscious action to 'develop' such an image onto oneself, a decisive branding. the color permanence gives it weight + identity significance.

hard stuff: by using quilted fabric, each pixel will hold some sort of dye that will release upon trigger. still trying to figure out the best way to do the color transfer. some ideas: (1) putting dye into capsules (stage-blood-esque, or very weak paintballs) and triggering via physical breakage (electronic pinches?) or a motored grind; (2) using a central reservoir which flows/leaks dye into corresponding pixels by controlling the valves; (3) using thermochromic ink, which changes color with heat. i would want an irreversible type of this dye.

soft stuff: right now so far

fabric: got gobs of white cotton quilted fabric. each pillowed pixel is about half-inch square. research: recipes for stage-blood, thoughts of using gelatine capsules, heating elements, thermochromic dye (colorchange.com, but the website makes your eyes bleed), the ruug project (http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/adrianat/portfolio.html), how high of a resolution needed to convey image without being totally unwieldy (a 5x6 matrix?).

planning ahead

at the very least, would want my own hard-coded designs to appear. would like to make a simple GUI software that would be a pixel-paint program that would enable users to design + download their created designs.