October 20, 2006
Fleshing Out
Seminar and Workshop
V2_, Institute for the Unstable Media, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam-based Virtueel Platform, the expertise centre for E-Culture, are organising a two-day event on the theme of close-to-the-skin technology.
Recent developments in science, including DNA and stem cell research, tissue culturing, smart materials and wearable technology, have a growing impact on how we perceive materials and clothing in design practice. In laboratories across the globe researchers at the boundaries of materials research, electronics, chemistry, and biotechnology are laying the foundations of future applications. The key characteristics of the materials and clothing developed in these labs are their ability to adapt (such as fabrics that adapt their density according to the surrounding temperature), the seamless integration of technology (for example, woven-in solar panels) and the self-organising nature of the design process (such as skin that grows in the form of a leather jacket, independent of any living being).
It is up to the designers, artists, and developers to determine how this ‘adaptivity’, seamless integration and self-organisation will take place. Designers and artists play an essential role in the way these technologies are formed and the way they are used in society at large. More is at stake here than merely the design of the products.It is also vital to stop and think about the impact that the introduction of these kinds of technologies may have on society.
Fleshing Out aims to create a breeding ground for Dutch initiatives in the field of new technologies, in the arts, materials and clothing design practice. It also examines the social impact of this scientific innovation on our daily lives, by testing out various scenarios in conjunction with their users.
Featuring: Kristina Andersen (Media Design, Piet Zwart Institute, Rotterdam and Steim, Amsterdam) / Joanna Berzowska (Design and Computation Arts , Concordia University, Montreal) / Ger Brinks (Textile Materials, Saxion Hogescholen, Enschede) / Anne Galloway (Sociology & Anthropology, Carleton University Ottawa) / Janine Huizinga (Waag Society, Amsterdam) / Tobie Kerridge (Royal College of Art, London) / Suzanne Lee (Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, London) / Michiel Scheffer (Fashion and Materials Design, Saxion Hogescholen, Enschede) / Thecla Schiphorst (Interactive Arts, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver) / Sabine Seymour (University of Art and Industrial Design in Linz, Austria) / Ionat Zurr (SymbioticA: the art and science collaborative research laboratory, School of Anatomy and Human Biology, University of Western Australia).
FLESHING OUT: Seminar :: Thursday 9th November 10 am - 6 pm, at V2_ in Rotterdam: This seminar brings together leading and critical initiatives in the field of wearable technology and smart materials and presents them to a wide audience of artists, designers, scientists and students from a variety of disciplines. The seminar is part of V2_’s Test_Lab events series. Admission seminar: 40 Euro (students: 20 Euro)
FLESHING OUT: Scenario Workshops: The workshop provides a more intimate setting for a selected group of speakers from the seminar and several invited Dutch experts. They come together in this workshop to analyse best practices in the interdisciplinary field of wearable technology, come up with scenarios, and research the possibilities of setting up new innovative projects in the Netherlands.
The workshop wil be held on Friday 10th of November at the Zwijger in Amsterdam. The Fleshing Out workshop is by invitation only. However there are some open seats available. Admission scenario workshops: 75 Euro (students: 35 Euro).
You can register via our online registration form.
Posted by jo at October 20, 2006 04:10 PM
