From start to End Wearable Futures, by Jamilah Joseph & Giuliana Gjorgjevski

First Idea: Inconvenient Posture

The first idea Jamilah and Giuliana executed, was a prototype sculpture made of clay. The goal was to make people move and explore their bodies differently, while remaining in an inconvenient posture. During the project the duo focused on breaking social constructs on how one moves. Ultimately, they wanted to make people get out of their comfort zone and let them experience an inconvenient or an unusual posture.

The initial impulse in creating this concept was inspired by a lecture on critical design, aesthetic body customization and cultural modification. The input helped to bring forward ideas of what «wearable futures» could be, and motivated them to think about the topic from a more philosophical perspective. The first idea developed by Giuliana thematized the topic of movement in connection with one’s comfort zone, which matched Jamilah’s idea about a meditation spine. The combination of these ideas resulted in the sculpture shown on the left.

Second Idea: Inconvenient Movement

A second concept was created to celebrate the joy of being able to move. Or to describe it in other words; to show and to explore in which ways our ability to move is helping us to perform our daily routines. The idea was to depict an alternative–stepping outside one’s comfort zone in a humorous manner. Soft foam was used as a material of juxtaposition, on one hand being a comfortable material, yet the size of the object restricted normal body movement of daily habits. Through these « wearables», the outcome of daily routines remains uncertain.

Final Idea: Collective Sculpture Performance

In their final concept, the two aimed to challenge societal notions which they see as capitalist, from a western perspective, and shaped towards individualism. They wanted to question norms and values within our society by creating a space of collectivism. To do this, they invited individuals to wear distinct individual objects that would come together as a collective form. This experiment invited one to step outside their comfort zone in order to question one’s habits, origins, and attitudes – in thinking and in moving through a series of sculpted future wearables.