Those of you who know my work, will know I get a bit
obsessive about digitally programmed embroidery. You’ll also know that I’m fascinated in
medical data as a starting point for my work, so when I saw that the Crafts Council were looking for makers who were interested in working with medical academics at Kings
College London I jumped at the chance.
It’s a long story but I met Dr Matthew Howard who lectures
in Informatics at an event organised by the Crafts Council and KCL and we got
on like a house on fire. Our bid to make
embroidered electrical connections for sensors stitched into garments to
measure both movements of the wearer and the electrical impulses in the muscles
causing the movement was accepted as one of four residences as part of the
Parallel Practices project.
The plan will involve working with Matthew’s research
students to make the ‘technology’ work with bespoke, cutting edge components
and programming and with Pfaff sewing machines to make the ‘stitch’ using
conductive thread and embroidery software.
Now if we can get the technology to work, we hope to make garments
that can capture movements and electrical impulses……and if we can get this all
to work well, then we’ll be able to make the garments and its technology to
look pretty,….. and if we can do it well, then I’ll have the time to make the
garments with aesthetic considerations to the muscles structures below or the
electrical data we have captured.
