Anouk Wipprecht's Provoking Spider Bodice

Designed by Anouk Wipprecht, this arachnid inspired bodice has been blowing up the 3d printing scene.  With the assistance of Intel technology, the spider dress has the ability to sense if someone or something is too close, which causes it’s “legs” to reach out in warning.  Wipperecht has created a fascinating interactive wearable that is truly thought provoking.

The design is armor-like, an exoskeleton, which is very reminiscent of comic book heroines such as the likes of  Sara Pezzini from Withblade or Sarah Kerrigan from Starcraft. 

Looking at the piece you get a sense of its intention right away, in no way does this costume look friendly.  The extended limbs already give the viewer a sense of preservation, to proceed with caution.  I can imagine how jarring it could be when realizing that these limbs are not static architectural pieces, but instead, react to your presence.   

It creates a uniquely silent conversation between wearer and viewer; by action you are told you are invading the wearer’s personal space.  I often run into the difficulty of getting bumped or shoved, having someone lean to close to me on the bus, uncomfortable, but rather mundane encounters with other people whilst going about my day by day.  Now imagine a world where this outfit was the norm, having a clothing device that wards off another person; A veil of protection.  In that regard this seems to be a very isolating piece, which makes the curved line use around the abdomen less sensual and a little more reserved, even stand off-ish. 

Overall I really enjoy the roles that play out when viewing the piece.  The initial uneasiness that the design invokes, to the sudden unexpected movement of the spider’s legs, and that leads to the nervous laughter given off by viewers as they slink back to a safer distance. It’s a brilliant tug of tension through a simple flinch mechanic that we see so often in ourselves and nature, but it’s completely unexpected in our clothing choices. 

Sources:

Video is youtube channel gdgtsbuzz

Starcraft Screenshot: Blizzard

Sara Pezzini: Top Cow Comics

Frontal Shot: Screenshot by Michelle Starr/CNET

Black Dress: fashioningtech.com

Farlow's Scientific Glassblowing Inc Takes An Artistic Look At Learning

So I came across a rather interesting company on the interwebs that does these phenomenal medical models that are completely rendered out of glass.  Farlow’s Scientific Glassblowing Inc. is a company based in California who feel very strongly that a learning tool can also be beautiful.  I have taken numerous biology and anatomy courses and have never come across a model that could be classified as art.

 Here we have a company that takes the artery system of the brain and creates a meticulous representation utilizing transparent glass tubes to depict the flow path that the blood takes.  The best part about this piece is that it is not just aesthetic but a fully functional model as well, so you can actually see the blood flow through the system.  Another model that really blew my mind (no pun intended) was the aneurysm model which shows the swollen area that happens in the artery by having a bubbled area in the glass tube in which blood will pool.  In addition to these models are ones for the heart, lungs, sinus, and other body systems.

However the most impressive model by far is the full size demonstrator system that they have cheekily nicknamed “Mrs. Einstein”.  This model has all the major arteries in the body represented and have them connected properly to the four chambers of the heart, so that this model also allows for functional use.  What is so wonderful about these pieces is that you can clearly see how everything works.  Traditionally most classes use animals to dissect, but even with the injected dyes it is really difficult to see what is going on without constant aid of a book. 

This really reminds me of the "Body Works" exhibit where they take actual bodies donated to science, and pose them so you can see how your body actually performs.  I would love to even see a collaboration or a similar exhibition.  This company is providing people a really beautiful way to learn and proving that learning doesn't have to be uninteresting.  I really hope to see more of these around especially since I haven’t gotten to chance to play with one myself.  

source: http://www.farlowsci.com/aboutus.html