Montreal-based fashion designer and professor, Ying Gao created two interactive dresses in a project entitled (NO)WHERE (NOW)HERE. Inspired by Paul Virilio’s 1979 essay “Esthétique de la disparition” (The aesthetic of disappearance), the dresses contained eye tracking technology that responds to a spectator’s gaze by activating tiny motors that shift areas of the dresses.
The dresses are made of super-organza, an extremely light weight fabric typically used by European couturiers. Covering the organza was photoluminescent (glow-in-the-dark) thread and embedded eye tracking technology. Only when looked at, do the delicate fibers move.
Allison has had a lifelong interest in multiple facets of design. Growing up between a sewing machine and a sketch pad, she went on to fine-tune her skills through studies in fine arts and fashion design. Upon entering the design/build industry, she continuously researches trends in various markets, including retail, hospitality, exhibitory/events, interiors and architecture in order to provide valuable educational and inspirational resources to clients.