MARTIAN
HOUSE

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Textile & prototype designer and creator.

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 Collaborative project with 4 more artists for the exhibition "Building a Martian House" for the Mshed, Bristol.

 

 

The main idea for this project started with the concept of thinking about "communications", something essential now and especially if we are considering the idea of a community of people living on a different planet: Mars.

There are some possible complications a priori related to it.

The situation of living in a new and hostile environment could make communications technically more difficult, producing issues such as the lack of internet connection, radio signal or lousy visibility. How do humans interact when they do not have the chance to speak or listen? This question inspired the idea of using sign language or non-verbal communication, which also made us assess the decision to use LED lights to gain the advantage of sending signals from a distance.

When we think about the idea of living on Mars, we imagine that different cultures will have to live together,  which could produce a language/cultural barrier between the components of any community. How could we try to facilitate their interactions? A universal language that does not need much time to learn and understand could facilitate the communication of short and crucial messages. Why not create an artefact/ tool that could quickly and easily transmit information?

The possibility of making a garment or an accessory allowed us to create something wearable at any time or circumstance and also make it a useful and easy object to transport.

 

As an Illustration student, I worked on this project thinking about how the glove would look visually and how to merge design and functionality. My leading research was about space garments and the future of fashion, directly linked with the current technological development. Biotechnology, engineering or the increasing environmental worrying have and will have even more of a significant impact on the way clothes are made, such as the creation of new materials or functionalities, or simply because of an emerging futuristic aesthetic trend is back.

The production and design of the glove are based on the ideas that we had individually. My inspiration for the final shape and pattern were vintage futurism and the aesthetic of recognising patterns of constellations in the sky and the imaginative geometric shapes they form. The glove consists of 64 pieces of a garment made with stretchy cotton, which is comfortable and practical to wear.

Using LED sequins lights, conductive thread, conductive fabric, and a 3V battery for the circuit, which was handmade embroidered using different types of stitches to differentiate between the negatives and positives parts on it and give it a bit more texture on the finishing of the piece.

 

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