Decade after decade, the future has represented a constant inspiration for many artists and designers.
The space discoveries ruled supreme in the Sixties in art and fashion, but the attention in our millennium and decade has shifted towards other themes, topics and ideas.
Many contemporary fashion designers have for example showed a preoccupation with intelligent textiles and a will to find out how specific fibres and technological components can improve our lives when employed in a garment.
At the moment many of these projects are still at a beta stage, so for example we do not really know when and if nanotechnology will have an impact on our everyday lives, but there is plenty of interest in the technological field.
Tangible proofs of this interest are the literature currently available on possibile fashion futurescapes and the events organised around these topics.
Among the latter there is also the exhibition "Technosensual: Where Fashion Meets Technology" that recently opened at Vienna’s quartier21 (one of the world's largest complexes for modern art and culture), kicking off the ‘M(useums) Q(uartier) Summer of Fashion’.
Curated by Anouk Wipprecht, the event focuses on electronic textiles and wearable technologies and features Austrian, British, Canadian and Dutch artists and designers (some of them staying at the MuseumsQuartier as artists-in-residence).
In some cases, for example in Bart Hess’s videos showing mutant looking humanoid forms or in Lucy McRae’s provocative, beautiful, but also disturbing futuristic visual installations, the future is an inspiring yet frighteningly artistic vision; in others, like Studio Roosegaarde’s, it is connected with the architecture and the space that surround us.
The fashion designers included in the event - from Ying Gao to Nancy Tilbury and Pauline van Dongen among the others - tried instead to use new materials and technologies such as 3D printing or to envisage a way to integrate specific devices into garments.
"Technosensual" features indeed biomechanical and interactive pieces, accessories that can self-grow on our bodies, garments that react to the environment thanks to motion detection sensors, and processors embedded in the fabric capable of managing data flows.
Some of these designs are exciting, others are slighly disturbing as they hint at the fact that in future we may be more controlled by machines, yet all the pieces included will inspire visitors while prompting them to ponder about the dynamic relation between space, people and technology.
The event will also be accompanied by a series of performances such as the "Audio Ballerinas" one by Benoît Maubrey that entertained visitors last weekend, plus workshops and lectures about fascinating topics such as "Austro-Hungarian Embroidery Gone Electronic" (by Kobakant – 28/29 July) or more hands-on events for children that will teach the participants how to build futuristic fashion accessories from electronic toys. Ready to step into the future? Head to Vienna then.
"Technosensual: Where Fashion Meets Technology" is at quartier21, MuseumsQuartier, Vienna, Austria, until 2nd September 2012.
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Fashion and Technology on one place. Awesome
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