You win some and you learn some

Estou a respirar fundo entre o que vai e o que vem, entre a memória e a antecipação do futuro.
E é apropriado falar em futuro, este projecto foi como fazer cócegas ao futuro e vê - lo a rir-se para mim!

Entretanto e apesar de a minha participação não ter sido premiada com o prémio final, sinto que eu fui premiada com uma janela aberta de possibilidades e aprendizagens. Das melhores, daquelas que nem nunca sonhava ter, mas cujo conteúdo me prendeu, fez sentido e completou algo ainda emergente, que se revelará a seu tempo.

Projeto- Coeo  (Em Latim juntar ou ir juntos)

Este projeto foi concluído para o concurso fashion-Tech, numa parceria entre o British Council of Arts e o Citeve.
Coeo  inclui três peças. Capa para um humano, colete para cão e a ligação entre ambos.
As peças formam uma estrutura única que liga o cão ao seu humano numa  ligação física e tangível. O elo entre humanos e cães é ancestral e de relevância evolutiva, tal  como  o têxtil utilizado,a lã feltrada. Nesta peça esse mesmo elo ganha expressão de forma visível e funcional.
Assim convergem realidades que exploram a evolução não linear de vários momentos. A lã anciã como material contemporâneo e veículo de 
tecnologia. O Cão que já não tem funções de trabalho e se tornou amigo e comunica com o auxilio dessa mesma tecnologia. A designer e criadora para quem  programação e hacking eram conceitos alienígenas e que depois de uma intensa semana de aprendizagem já matuta noutros projetos com wearables.

A dimensão têxtil é muito expressiva e escultural com uma estrutura  rendilhada dupla, complexa e celular, sendo leve, flexível, fácil de  usar e lavar.
Construida e esculpida sem costuras em lã de origem nacional, na mais ancestral técnica têxtil existente, a feltragem manual que na sua 
forma original permite uma plasticidade e capacidade construtiva imensa, na forma, na estrutura e textura.

Depois foi utilizado o conjunto de microprocessador, leds e sensores da adafruit.com proporcionado pelo citeve, e agradeço a oportunidade de conhecer esta significativa “caixa mágica” que é a  tecnologia de wearables. Após cruzar a minha ideia inicial com o que era possível fazer com o Gemma e o seu conjunto, redefini as funções da peça e comecei a aprender como programar o que eu pretendia.
O microprocessador foi colocado na  base da extensão que liga o colete do cão à capa do humano, soldei o  sensor de vibração a gnd e D2, atribuí um switch a D0 e os Leds a D1. Os Leds foram costurados em cadeia,  mas com uma localização alternada, consegui  isto utilizando duas camadas distintas de lã feltrada sobrepostas o  que permitiu costuras alternadas de modo que os fios nunca se  encontrassem, saliento que nesta primeira experiência observei que a  lã feltrada é uma ótima base para os componentes eletrónicos, o fio é  facilmente costurado no interior mantendo-se protegido, a lã é  isolante, hidrófega e confere amortecimento. Para o último Led, na  extremidade oposta na base da capa, alternei a linha condutora por cabo, liguei cada linha ao cabo correspondente e terminei com pontas de ligação de cabo de jacks que permite que a extensão possa ser  desligada, na ponta fixei o último Led. Queria um pouco mais efeito do que quatro Leds permitiam, passei três filamentos de fibra ótica pela  capa até ao último Led, foi possível potenciar o efeito e a luz de um Led e  transportá-la pela peça sem esforço.
Em modo calmo, os leds apresentam movimento de luz correspondente, quando o cão entra em movimento com o seu dono os leds acompanham tornando-se  mais dinâmicos, no caso de o elo ser quebrado os Leds no colete do cão vão alertar um SOS, em código Morse a vermelho!

Este é a primeira apresentação de Coeo e das minhas recentes habilidades,  mais virão com videos e fotos.

Até lá vou coser mais uns leds e estudar muito.

Right now I'm taking that deep breath in between what comes and what goes, between memory and the antecipation of the future.
It's appropriate to bring up the future, this project was like tickling the future and having it laugh back at me!

Meanwhile and in spite of having my participation not win the final award, I feel like I've gained a open window for new possibilities and learnings. Of the best kind, the compleet unexpected never dreamt of having kind, but also the kind that makes sense to me and completes something emergent, yet to be revealed.

Project Coeo ( Latim for go or walk together )

The project Coeo was completed for the fashion-tech challenge, a partnership between the British Council of Arts and Citeve.
Coeo is made up of three items, a cape for a human, a vest for a dog and the link between them.
The parts create an unique structure that connects the dog to it's human in a phisical  and tangible bond. The bond between dogs and humans is ancient and of evolutionary relevance, as is the textile used here, hand felted wool. With Coeo this bond gains a visible and functional expression.
And so realities  converge in an exploration of the non linear evolution of several moments. The ancient wool as contemporary material and carrier of technology. The dog who no longer performs a job, but has become a companion and may communicate through the same technology.
The designer for whom the idea of programming and hacking were alien concepts and now dreams of  wearable inclusive projects to come.

The textile dimension is very expressive and sculptual, with a double woollen laced layer, complex and cell like. Light, flexible, easy to wear and to clean.
Constructed and sculpted seamlessly with national wool in the most ancient textile technique, hand felt, with enables great plasticity and imense constructive freedom in shape, structure and texture.

Them the adafruit kit of microprocessors, leds and sensors was put to use. Made available as part of the challenge by Citeve, to whom I thank the oportunitie to discover this meaningful  "magic box" of wearable technology.
After crossreferencing my original plan with what I had to work with, the gemma and it's kit, I adjusted the funtions accordingly and began learning how to do and program what I had in mind.
The microprocessor was placed on the base of the extension which connects the dog's vest to the human's cape. I soldered the vibration sensor to Gnd and D2, I assigned a switch to D0 and the leds to D1. The leds were stitched  parallel but in an unaligned way, this was possible as I used two distinct layers of felted wool upon each other, allowing for alternate stitchs that never crossed. Also I observed that felted wool makes a good base for electronic components as wire can easily ben hidden within, offering protection, also from impact and insulation.
The last led was placed on the other end, at the base of the human cape, there I used cable instead of thread, soldering the ends to a four plug in order to be able to disconnect the link. I was looking for a bit more uauu factor than four leds would allow, so I added three strands of fiber optic cable from the base of the cape, from the last led and along the cape, making it very easy to transport the led's light.
When calm, the dog's leds shine in a calm mode, as the human and dog move about the leds will reflect that movement becoming more agitaded,  in case of the link being broken then the dog's leds  will alert it's surroundings by sending an SOS message, in red morse code!

This is the firstpresentation of Coeo and of my new set of skills, more will come with videos and photos.

Until then I'm gonna stitch some leds and learn a lot more

LED to believe

So, for most of my life I was led to believe that technical stuff, especially all things wired, were not for me. This happened for many reasons, but mainly and during adulthood because of the huge gap between creating something with your hands and creating something with your brain! Not that I don't use my brain while creating and surely one also uses ones hands while programing and wiring stuff, but it's just like that, sewing, knitting and definitely felting are hands on while computers are brains on!
Today I have very bravely  (with that terrifying feeling I had in tummy since I got my adafruit kit) breached that gap, actually that happened the moment I decided to take part in this competition and take on the challenge to create a piece that would meaningfully integrate technology in order to augment it's possibilities and aesthetics. 
As I was selected to the final fase of this project it all became very, very real! And a bit scary! I don't enter projects lightly, and I have this thing where I like to bring things to completion, although with this one (after the hackaton, and facing a brick wall called arduino) it was not looking pretty and I was on the verge of giving up. And in spite of having felted two beautiful pieces as a base to my idea, the technology was not helping my case! Ask anyone, programing microprocessors is not a walk in the park, even less when you never looked at a program your entire life (those are things that live behind the computer screen and hopefully you'll never have to deal with) and then stich leds on to that microprocessor  (gemma thingy) and tell it want you want it to do and when! Oh lord! Here it is, I completely underestimated this one!
Why did I get into it then? Well, I do love technology and I appreciate what this century has to offer! I love materials and a trip to the hardware store only compares to the greatest haberdashery or the most aromatic bookstore! And consider this...I make felt, I construct non woven woollen fabrics and sculptures with warm water and soap, applying a technic that is almost as old as human kind (I like to call it the proto textile) and now the possibility presents itself to combine that with the latest developments in wearables, it's just too irresistible!
I searched far and found very near,  I asked around if anyone I know could lend a brain cell or two to help me figure this one out, and then it dawned on me!
I know the sweetest, most clever guy that surely could help! Right across Tábua, in Oliveira de Fazemão lives my favourite nuclear physicist Steve Cassidy!
And this is a thank you Steve, for helping me, oh so often, with my projects. By now you and Megumi have become such an important building block in my project, all that besides being wonderful friends! You helped me when I wanted japanese kohase to close my garments and shoes, and they do, you helped me when I discovered sumi-e and couldn't find out more about it, and now I do, and you helped me understand programing  (still the tip of the iceberd, but more will come) patiently walked me through the steps of making this thing and finally lit my led !
Thank you guys you are brilliant!

Sumi-e

A pintura de peças com sumi-e foi o resultado feliz de uma procura de liberdade, de um processo rítmico e dinâmico.   Foi um início que sei dará vida a muitas mais peças  que exploram esses movimentos cíclicos entre ordem e caos, luz e sombra, que tanto me atraem

Rentré

Depois das longas férias e depois de trabalhar às mijinhas com os miúdos divertidos a treparem por mim a cima e a chamarem mãe a cada dez segundos, estes primeiros dias quase inteiros de atelier sabem-me mesmo bem
Melhor ainda depois de uma noite em branco a magicar um twist a minha técnica rendilhada, aquela que dá vida às peças LostInLace
Vão ver imagens finais em breve

After the long hollidays and after working in a stop motion mode with my kids climming happily on top of me and calling mom every ten seconds, these first few days it really feels good to be back at the atelier
Even better after spending almost a whole night turning in bed thinking about a new twist to my felt lace technic, the one that produces my LostInLace pieces
Final images soon

Das embalagens e começar pelo final

Normalmente a embalagem de uma peça acontece depois da mesma, com a intenção de a apresentar da melhor forma possível ao cliente final. No entanto e talvez por eu ser trapalhona e perfeccionista ao mesmo tempo, uma combinação muito particular e que me causa todo o tipo de desafios, ainda as peças estão a secar ou à espera de etiquetas e acabamentos e já as suas respectivas embalagens as esperam numa arrumadinha promessa de finalização.
Esta forma não linear de abordar as coisas é um hábito que suspeito tenha piorado com a aprendizagem e aperfeiçoamento das minhas técnicas de feltragem em que tive de desaprender tudo o que sabia sobre desenho de moda e corte e costura, mas isso será outro post.

Começo tantas vezes pelo fim que também  este primeiro post à séria do blog VOLUMEAtelier, marca e identidade criativa, não merecia melhor. Continuemos, com as primeiras peças enfrentei o problema da embalagem e como não o conseguia resolver deixei-o a marinar por uns tempos, não havia nada que achasse compatível com as minhas peças mas sem embalagem elas pareciam-me desamparadas. 

Cada peça é  feita de raiz, não, de lã mesmo, algumas de lã acabada de tosquiar. Cada tufo disposto, cada pedaço cortado, e na mesa de trabalho amontoam-se todos aqueles pedacinhos de lã, de seda, linho, algodão, renda, e pequenas peças de teste que pertencem à peça final. Pertencem foi a palavra que fez toda a embalagem acontecer. Cada pedaço era memória do momento de criação e era sempre possível perceber em que é que eu estava a trabalhar olhando para os montinhos de material a um canto da mesa.

O resto foi directo, a embalagem transparente é costurada com todos aqueles pedaços que lhe pertencem e que a celebram, cada uma única e respectiva, tornamdo-se parte indissociável do proceso criativo e da peça final.
Fim

By norm a piece's packaging is made after the piece itself, with the intention of presenting it to the final client in the best way possible. However, and maybe because I'm a bit chaotic and perfectionist at the same time, a very particular condition that has posed all sorts of challenges, while my pieces are still drying on the rack, waiting for labelling or finishing touches their packages await then in a very tidy promesse of finalisation. This not so strait form of approach is a habit I suspect has gotten worst with learning and perfecting my felting skills, as I had to unlearn what I knew about fashion design and dress making,  but that will be another post. 

I so often start things by the end that this first for real post of VOLUMEAtelier, my brand and creative identity, deserved no better. Let's continue, along with my first pieces I faced the challenge of packaging, as I could not find a proper solution I just let it marinade for a while. Nothing felt compatible with my creations but without a package they seemed a bit helpless. 

Each piece is handmade from scratch,  wool actually, some from wool that has just been sheared. Each stroke of wool laid, each cut out piece that piles up on the work table toguether with all the other bits of wool, silk, linnen, cotton, lace and test pieces that belong to the final piece. Belong became the key work that got the packaging rolling. Every piece carried with it the memory of creation and you could always tell what I was working on by looking at the little piles of material sitting on the corner of the work table. 

The rest was easy, the transparent package is sown with all those little castaways that belong to it and celebrate it, each one unique, becoming an indissociable part of the creative process and the final piece itself.

The end