Exist/co
Exist/co speculative design and research-creation project that arose from developing a personal ethos statement.
I believe space and how one chooses to fill said space can act as a tangible display of one’s identity. My identity places value on the complexity of space itself and all that inhabits it. While simultaneously acknowledging that the fulfilment gained through filling space, results in wicked problems concerning overconsumption, sustainability, thing-power and ethics.
The act of filling, consuming or rearranging the broader space that is the pluriverse is nearly unavoidable. Therefore, I push for more conscious consumption practices in terms of the past, present and future of things and strive for more ethical consumption under capitalism by promoting the ideology that: the things we consume do not only exist while we are coexisting.
Components
Digital Installation / Animation with SelfCad
Website Mockup with Photoshop
Digital Clothing Mockup with SelfCad
Scope
Graduating Personal Ethos Project
Year
2021
My project focuses on the fashion industry, particularly on critiquing "vegan leather" as a marketing strategy that masks deeper issues with superficial solutions. As a consumer, I created this research-creation piece for other consumers. Initially, I designed a body form grown from biowaste, a vest woven from polyurethane and rubber plants, and enclosed it within a greenhouse to reflect on the permanence and impermanence of materials.
During the process, I realized the hypocrisy of sourcing materials I was critiquing. This led me to question the need for physical materials and shift my focus to the idea of simulation, a key aspect of polyurethane's development. My project transitioned from physical to digital space, making it accessible to anyone with an internet connection and a smartphone
All the components of my research-creation project exist on a four page website. Including the landing page, the 3d installation/animation, a page that explains the project and a virtual fitting room where the garment can be tried on with your phone camera. I opted for an independent website over an app, due to wanting to limit the project’s dependence on larger corporations.
The digital installation will be a 3d model that the visitor can explore. It is animated to display ice melting causing the plants to grow while the vest remains unchanged.
