Wearable art inspired by the effects of information technology at the beginning of the twenty-first century

Abstract

The goal of this study was to design wearable art inspired by the effects of information technology on people at the beginning of the twenty-first century. These effects included the psychological, sociological, and physiological aspects related to the Information Age. The specific phenomena focused on were information overload, isolation, and touch deprivation. The review of literature included the way in which fashion and art reflect history to show that they are indicators of a cultural climate, the history and purpose of wearable art, the changing society of today, and the symptoms being brought about by technology. These symptoms include tendencies toward information overload, isolation, and touch deprivation. Study of the gathered information, led to the design of three units of wearable art, utilizing numerous contemporary fabrics and non-traditional materials and techniques. Each unit reflected the interpretation of the phenomena, which included the tendency toward “overload”, the tendency toward “isolation”, and the tendency toward “touch deprivation”. The opening night reception of the installation featured live models wearing the garments; each model performed movements pertaining to each of the garment’s symptoms. The installation was open for public viewing for one week with garments displayed on mannequins at the Menomonie Theater Guild Studio.