Designers to Know: Ying Gao
During a recent trip to Boston, I viewed techstyle, an exhibit at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts showcasing innovative new fashion designs. While all of the designs showcased were jaw dropping, I found one designer’s work to be above the rest. Designer Ying Gao’s work focuses on the importance of movement and sound. She focuses on creating a connection between the viewer and the piece, examining the interaction between people and the clothes they wear. Here’s three of Gao’s most groundbreaking designs.
The Walking City Dresses:
Filled with hidden pumps, these origami-like dresses react to both movement and sound. As viewers move around the dress or speak into a microphone, sensors react in the dresses, causing them to expand and contract pneumatically. Gao explains that “this concept of inflatable pieces gives life to the garments, with their mechanical movements giving the impression that they are controlled by a body.”
See them in action:
Incertitudes:
In this project, Gao uses dress pins and electronic sensors to bring these intricate designs to life. Sensors inside the garments recognize sounds of different pitches, such as music or the human voice, causing the pins to move in response. The movement of each pin paired with the light reflected off them gives the piece a new pattern and shape with each different noise. Gao explains that she based these pieces off the concept of uncertainty, as it is impossible to predict what the garments will look like next.
See it in action:
Playtime:
In this play on paparazzi in the fashion industry, Gao created pieces that were nearly impossible to photograph or record. Created with organza and electronic devices, the two dresses challenge the norm of the fashion industry by intentionally not photographing well. One dress, when photographed with flash, becomes its own light source, making it look like a glowing orb on film. The other, due to its delicate material and constant motion, appears blurry when recorded. Gao commented on the unique nature of these pieces, saying “this is not an anti-paparazzi project. This is an experimental design project. We do not care about celebrities and their paparazzi. We care about experimentation and metaphors.”
See them in action:
To see more of Gao’s work check out her website: http://yinggao.ca