THE INTERACTIVE PANTS
Designers:
Hannah Smock | Jhoanna Tagaro
Special thanks to Dr Vaughn Pinxit
& Greta Kelly from DeepBlue Orchestra
Created for the 2019 Queensland Music Festival, ‘The Interactive Pants’ is a wearable solution that offers a unique tangible opportunity in response to the brief, ‘Neighbourhood, and stories that connects us to place’.
The chosen target client to operate the proposed design was Brisbane-based international didjeribone performer, Tjupurru. With Indigenous cultural heritage, Tjupurru’s performance style is the perfect vehicle to drive cultural themes of connection to the land.
Having the role of a technology researcher and designer, I was able to work in both theoretical and practical aspects of designing the ‘Interactive Pants’.
A Brief Overview Video of the Project. Edited by Madeline Perrin 2018.
The Concept
Tjupurru has a unique performance style, referred to as a “one man orchestra” as he seamlessly alters between three instruments. His performance features a large visual range frame, from head to toe and it was essential for the wearable to mimic and facilitate this movement.
The proposed wearable takes the form of fabric leg coverings that are worn over the Tjuppuru's trousers, secured at the waist by a tie belt. As Tjupurru interacts with his ground loop pedal, his foot simultaneously triggers a pressure pad that fades on the LED lights housed within the customary pants. These lights are designed to grow & light from the ground up. Hence, by connecting foot to ground, a visual metaphor showing a connection of the performer to the land becomes illuminated.
The Process
brief analysis | idea generation | electrical learning | sourcing materials | feedback | field analysis | experimentation | pattern making | fabrication | construction | development | constant iteration
