Soft^Articulations

Soft^Articulations is a project inspired by retrofuturism and the idea of creating a soft exoskeleton that translates muscle articulations into sound. The project proposes the creation of a wearable system that using handmade bend sensors on various muscle joints wishes to explore the dipole relation between the actions of relaxation and tension both physically and sonically.

The wearable prototype was conceptualized and developed during a ten-day residency in May 2014 at IAAC (Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia) and Fab Lab Barcelona, curated by textile department coordinator Anastasia Pistofidou, part of the research project EASTN (European Art Science and Technology Network).

Performer in the demo video: Lydia Kampournioti
Video and sound editing: Sophie Adelt

The interactive bodysuit's design focuses on modularity and the idea that during the performance, the performer can add or remove the sensors, playing with the sound qualities that each sensor represents. The looseness of the suit on the neck and on the hips is inspired by the work of pioneer contemporary dance choreographer Martha Graham and her piece Lamentation, which features a stretch cylinder garment. The suit becomes tighter close to the sensor joints transforming into a second skin. The cutouts permit a look at the body's interior and the sensors represent the muscle joints.