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(NO)WHERE (NOW)HERE: Interactive Dresses by Ying Gao

Inspired by Paul Virilio’s 1979 essay “Esthétique de la disparition” (The aesthetic of disappearance), Montreal-based fashion designer and profressor, Ying Gao created two interactive dresses in a project entitled (NO)WHERE (NOW)HERE. The dresses have photoluminescent thread and embedded eye tracking technology made into them that gets activated by the spectator’s glances.

Watch the dresses in action:

The dresses are made from lightweight super organza that slowly moves about as someone stares at it. When the lights are out, the dresses become illuminated.

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From the designer:

A photograph is said to be “spoiled” by blinking eyes – here however, the concept of presence and of disappearance are questioned, as the experience of chiaroscuro (clarity/obscurity) is achieved through an unfixed gaze.

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Photos by Dominique Lafond, courtesy of v2com.net.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.