Lol

There certainly hasn’t been much studies I know about being lonely in the digital world and the relationship with screens/gadgets… especially when always on the move (physically, mentally or digitally…) except maybe the legendary Life on the Screen by Sherry Turkle who talks about introverted teenages…

Think also about women travelers having to juggle with taking their pills on time despite the jetlag and time zones change… well now you can have a shot of hormones regulation for few months in a row eliminating the hassle of remembering when to take it (… I guess neo-nomads could use that too; though too dangerous to my taste :).

The following deserves our attention… look at the new gadget (via the Wired blog Gear Factor)… OhMiBod (isn’t it so sleek that you want to have it just for the sake of a conversation?):

I particularly like the comment by “mythster34″ who says that “Somebody needs to create an iMix for this thing. Like: “I’m gonna take you higher” “Move to the Music” “Don’t Go out Much Anymore” “Shake That Thing” (Do what you’re gonna do) etc.”

Lol again…

TRAIN AWAY a collection by Puma… pretty interesting “practical fashion-forward products for business travellers.” The shoe has a “unique hotel card storage slot in outsole”… well… it is to put your [W] hotel key. Free to roam, but tied to a chain hotel?

Now I have a nano - black - (Thank you Jean!), and that I have all the time in the world (and no excuse not) to go running ;) I shall pay attention to the next gear to come: the Nike+iPod!!! Jean also pointed out the Wired article: “Making the iPod more sensitive“… We could even be changing the tempo of the music according to our pace! How much virtual power does this give us?!

Jennie Pineus, Headmask renamed Cocoonmask, 2000; Find it at Promise Park!
“The “cocoonmask” instead is a portable version that can be taken anywhere. It folds up and comes in its own bag: an individual personal relaxation sheath. It can be used on the train, at the airport, in the office, library or any public space. Material: Tricot (which breathes), plastic rods Colour: White”

On my way out from that bookstore, I saw her with a funky bag. I could not get my eyes of… the bag… Random encounter, how many times do you dare to ask? Who makes it? She said “A friend from Seattle, check www.alchemygoods.com; it is made of recycled advertisement banners…” I don’t think I can help it… But I like bags… as Steven Connor writes “If you were to arrive on this earth from another planet, what would be the thing that would strike you most about humans, compared with other species? […] It would be our need, apparently unshared by any other species, to carry things around with us.” And again, “We don’t seem to transport ourselves without transporting things with us. Bags mean this possibility. Bags mean ownership, identity, self-possession. They are memories, the weight of all we have been.” [1] What I like about this bag? It is urban, and as mentioned in the website “The material was printed on and then lashed to the sides of buildings all over Seattle to promote various products. No two bags are alike, so the only thing you’ll be advertising is your individuality.” After zipik, the Ad bag :)

[1] Steven Connor, Rough Magic: Bags, 2000 in Ben Highmore, Everyday Life Reader (Florence, KY, USA: Routledge, 2002); p. 346 and 348

The “F+R Hugs (Hug Shirt) is a shirt that allows to exchange the physical sensation of a hug over distance.” Check out this project by cutecircuit! Another example of the use of technology to replace the missing link/sense when living physically separated… Is there out there a research/project to encapsulate the sense of smell?

Japanese designers have “redefined our Western conception of dress and have asked us to accept Eastern methods of garment construction like that of the kimono, in which full widths of fabric are stitched together and not cut into as they are in Western tailored clothing.” [1] What does it have to do with mobility? A clothe made of one a full width of fabric inspires me to think about clothings that are flexible, that can be a scarf, a skirt, or a blanket. These are light and transportable, as they are shrunk, folded, pleated, heat set… Creases, holes, seams and folds are beautiful. They are perfect for the contemporary traveler. Minagawa Makiko, the textile designer whose stoles are in display at the MFA has closely collaborated with Issey Miyake. “Miyake’s vision and Minagawa’s experiment led to the Pleat Please collections, which remain popular today.” [1] It is a collection that fits many body shapes (they expand elegantly)! Minagawa mixes tradition and new technology. Her “knowledge of textile techniques and how they affect the way fabrics drape and fold makes her work unique and is the basis for HaaT, her clothing line.”
Still, like Issey Miyake, she believes in industrial process. The A-POC (A Piece of Cloth) line of Issey is paradoxically unique (strong authorship) and standardized: “overlength sweaters, dresses off the roll—‘a-poc’ is based upon Miyake’s first design concept, a piece of cloth, is a new and unique suggestion for everyday life, which goes far beyond the boundaries of fashion. It is made using an industrial knitting or weaving machine programmed by a computer. This process creates continuous tubes of fabric within which lie both shape and pattern. The customer cuts sleeves and skirts exactly to the length he wants.” [2]

[1] Contemporary Cloth, Stoles by Minagawa Makiko, Exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA October 7, 2005 to July 9, 2006; brochure

[2] http://www.designboom.com/eng/funclub/apoc.html accessed February 6, 2006

Exhibit at the Museum of Fine Art, Boston, MA

My new handbag, a original creation by Zipik (tailored for me); Zipik is a Mexican designer!!! ©Zipik 2004

A creation by Zipik! ©Zipik 2004