RETROSPETIVE: [MOLLUSCA]

BODY AS THEATRE 

  

The brief of this project was to create a garment that can transform into a space that covers the body, or an environment to interact with the body.

This piece was inspired by Japanese origami as well as avant garde architecture by Acconci. I used a material that is rigid and modified its nature so that it becomes collapisable. The corset-like vest is the base structure in which the other component anchors onto. In order to make a collapsible space, I used the technique of folding and twisting the colored cardboard. The vest is also made out of the same cardboard material and is molded to my body by scoring panels of various sizes and curvatures.

The shells are worn as a hat and a backpiece which are both attached using string. When the components are taken off the body, they can be transformed into wave-like structures that stand on the ground. The forms overlap and lock into each other to create a cave-like space. The space is rather open since the basic concept of my body-space was freedom at the beach.

This piece is titled Mollusca because it was inspired by seashells and waves. This title also refers to the literal definition and appearance of mollusks since they carry their homes on their backs. The shapes that I used for my garment all mimic the look of mollusks, particularly their shells; even the bodice was inspired by clam shells.

This was a very challenging project for me because of the nature of cardboard, this material is rigid but becomes fragile quite easily. 

I came to really like the end product, especially when worn! 

Perhaps I was a mollusk in a previous lifetime....

-A