Casual Profanity

To: Berlin

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:19:00 -0500

There is another fluid dress and it is in the “Wovon Maschinen träumen” (“What Machines Dream Of”) exhibit produced by Ars Electronica. The exhibit is hosted at the Volkswagen Automobil Forum in Berlin; it will be open (and the dress will be running) every day until August 28th.

I don’t have pictures of the dress installed, so you’ll have to trust me that these boxes aren’t empty.

The best parts of the show are Benjamin Cowden’s “Having My Cake and Eating it Too” and Tom Wilkinson’s “Light Wave”.

Ben, Tom and all of the Ars Electronica crew were really fantastic people to work (and then drink) with.

Fluid Dress at Ars Electronica

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:48:00 -0600

The Fluid Dress is now on display at Ars Electronica in Linz, Austria. It will be exhibited (along with a new video) in their ‘RoboLab’ from March 2011 - 2012.

Apart from bewilderment and pride, I also feel a bit empty and apologetic.

Empty – because my workspace is empty – and apologetic because the dress isn’t pumping at the museum. I am, however, working on both of these problems.

Fluid Sculpture

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 05:34:22 -0600

Here is a video of the fluid sculpture. It’s composed of 80 ft. of 1/8” OD tubing knit on a 5.5” loom (aka that blue ring thing.)

Fluid Dress

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 23:23:00 -0600

So, here is the video for the fluid dress. It has been a long labor to make this.

I do hope you find something here, although I have become mostly unenchanted with this dress and video, despite my ambitions. I don’t know if I was ever really captivated with it or just captive to it. If that was the case, the Stockholm Syndrome is far gone.

If there is something beautiful though, and worth regarding, as a work of nature, and never boring: it is the story. It is a long story though, and it will take a long while to make short.

Thank You's

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 22:30:00 -0500

The Vimeo Festival + Awards was awesome. It’s true; you can spell ‘rad’ without ‘Vimeo.’ But I wouldn’t suggest it.

I need to thank some people:

Thank you Yann, Agata, Brian, Marco, Blake, Andrea, Steve, Dan, Evan, José Luis, Paola, Carlton, Alicia, Mike, Stacy, Ze, Mr Nokia, Nyle, and DR. REGGIE.

Photo credit: jose moran moya

New York

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:52:00 -0500

It’s been a while, but I am alive and excited about a couple things. Both involve New York:

My little fluid sculpture video is a Vimeo Awards finalist in the ‘Captured’ category. This is at once baffling and amazing. This is bafflazing.
I had registered for the festival and bought my plane ticket even before the shortlist was announced. Now I’m really excited.
I’ll be at the NY Maker Faire this weekend playing around with tubes. You should come too!

I am still working on a video for the dress; it has been a lot of work but I hope to have it finished in a couple weeks.

Construction of the Fluid Dress

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:42:00 -0500

Here are some pictures from the construction of the fluid dress I showed at the 2009 Maker Faire in San Mateo. Video coming soon!

Maker Faire 2009

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:38:00 -0500

The Maker Faire is over and it was spectacular. The projects on display, as always, were some careful mixture of brilliant, hilarious, and dangerous.

I had an amazing time talking to everyone and hearing your kind words. I showed only a portion of what I had hoped to, and the dress I did show was kind of sloppy, but nonetheless it was a completely gratifying weekend.

There was one question I got frequently that is worth answering, and that is: “how did you think of this”?

Forgetting for a second that we’re talking about a dress made with tubes and a pump and not, for instance, something useful (the ShamWow, par exemple.) I would like to propose that the origin of this, and most any idea, is a bit absurd and mostly irrelevant.

What is vital though, and of greater influence on any project, is how it perpetuates.

The Maker Faire is what motivated me. The receptive, forgiving, and care-full group of people represented there and on the internet is of much greater consequence to my project than whatever random elements fused at its conception.

There is another story — one I didn’t really understand until recently — that I would like to share one day too.

"Last day in May the afternoon, remember?"

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:05:00 -0500

Happiness is here. Now, so much to do.

“I swear I swear that I will do my part.”

Panta Rhei

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:47:00 -0600

Into the fluid fashion waters again, although the river has changed:

“On those stepping into rivers the same, other and other waters flow.”
ποταμοῖσι τοῖσιν αὐτοῖσιν ἐμϐαίνουσιν, ἕτερα καὶ ἕτερα ὕδατα ἐπιρρεῖ.
Potamoisi toisin autoisin embainousin, hetera kai hetera hudata epirrei

More soon.

DIY Fashion Show 2008

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:49:00 -0500

The Superfluid Skirt made its first appearance on a lady at the DIY Fashion Show at Arise! Bookstore.

The fit was horrible, the style was….¿Cómo se dice “whack”? But everything still worked well enough to make smiles. The redeeming moment of the night came after the show when my model remarked: “I kinda feel powerful”

(and it made me smile.)

Poetaster

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:01:42 -0500

It works (in a mechanical sense.) The skirt works and the powerpack too. Although it’s not fashionable or long-term-interesting yet.

Here, I put together a bombastic video to lend it that extra pathos (or is it bathos?)

Watch for my favorite bit of this video, it comes at the end just as the tube dangling from the left side of the skirt (not the galloping one on the side) changes from transparent, to white, to blood red.

Pictured: “Fluid reservoir holder (top)” (still in...

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Pictured: “Fluid reservoir holder (top)” (still in the womb.)

This was made on a 3D printer, oh fer cool!

Skirt Ingredients:

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:54:00 -0500

200 ft. tubing
1 pump
400 ml. mineral oil
400 ml. water
2 valves
1 Lexan main plate
1 transparent vinyl backpack
1 fluid reservoir
1 fluid reservoir holder (top)
1 fluid reservoir holder (bottom)
1 main battery
10 ml. water dye
10 ml. oil dye
2 dress quick-disconnects
1 microcontroller
1 microcontroller battery
1 electrical terminal block
1 on/off switch
1 speed controller for pump
2 relays for solenoid valves

If I call it a teaser, I’m allowed to make it...

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 12:01:00 -0500

If I call it a teaser, I’m allowed to make it disappointing; right?

Music:
“Don’t Pull His Legs Off”, from the Hlaupanotan Session by Múm.

about Casual Profanity

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:31:00 -0500

Casual Profanity, according to Webster’s (aka the valedictorian version):

ca·su·al
Unconstrained by rigid standards or ceremony

pro·fan·i·ty
Irreverence towards sacred things.

OR, if you prefer, Casual Profanity according to the American Softball Association:

“The Casual Profanity Rule pertains to expletives and verbal un-sportsmanlike language not directed at an umpire or opposing players or coaches. This is most likely uttered by a player out of frustration. This type of behavior is penalized by an out being charged against the offending team…”

But, really, Casual Profanity is this: the name and philosophy behind a series of ridiculous clothing experiments.