Samantha's Brief:

A wearable rotating piece capturing the themes of self-identity and culture. 

The project captured the work of Marka27 and specifically his mural called Queendom. Most of his work relates to cultural expression. His work also captures the clear divide between someone's internal cultural identity and what they choose to show to the world. Meet The Queen is a wearable designed to capture both aspects of identity and make the act of opening up in the control of the wearer. Marka27 also uses geometric shapes to frame the subject of his art. 

Two rotating triangular pieces of wood serve as frames, inside of which bioplastic material is collaged with fabrics, colors, animal prints, and other design elements abstracted from the mural. The triangular frames are attached to a rotating bolt on a sturdy belt. When the pieces are in the upward position, the model's face is mostly covered, representing privacy and self-reflection. When the triangles are moved to the outward pointing position, they frame the upper half of the model's body just like in the mural. The final position, in which the triangles are pointing downward to create a skirt, is for when the wearer is confident and ready to show their whole self. The goal of this project is for anyone who wants to witness or demonstrate different sides of their culture and identity. Included in Queendom are aspects of the woman's African-American culture such as animal prints. These aspects are also included inside the bioplastic triangles placed to show her hiding some of these parts of herself.

In a post-apocalyptic world where aliens have taken over and nearly driven humans to extinction. Only one island remains safe and humans must find ways to disguise themselves. It was discovered that the aliens see clearly in infrared light, but can also discern color differences. Thus, camouflage technology has been developed to avoid IR detection as well as change colors.

This wearable machine curls up when the wearer is crouching, much like a roly poly's shell. It uses LEDs to change color. It changes color to camouflage against predators like the aliens that are hunting the humans. The plastic allows the color from the LED lights to go through but is still opaque enough where someone outside can't see through. It also camouflages infrared light because as long as the wearer isn't directly in contact with the material, body heat cannot be transfered and the wearer will be disguised from infrared detectors.

The Butterfly Woman project is a wearable set of wings for Lydia Villa-Komaroff, a molecular biologist that works with under-represented groups of people supporting their efforts in the STEM fields. The wings are designed to incorporate her dedication to eradicating bias and stereotyping with her interest in Geiger Counters and butterflies. The wings serve as a detector of Implicit Bias and Stereotyping and flutter when this type of negativity is detected.

When the wings flutter they alert both the wearer and the exhibitor of the bias to of the situation and what specific type of stereotyping is occurring. Lydia often wishes that she was able to seek out any and all stereotyping and bias around her, even in the most subtle situation. This project allows Lydia to go about her business without diverting energy towards seeking out bias. It will alert her to any nearby bias so she can act immediately helping others grow and protect themselves from stereotyping and its harmful effects. The wings, two and a half feet tall, are mounted onto an exoskeleton that fits like a corset around the user's body. A user-activated motor attached to the back of the exoskeleton drives the fluttering motion of the wings. 

The goal of designing this real-world superhero prop is to bring awareness to the subtle expression of modern-day racism through implicit bias. For example, when the most challenging jobs are given to male workers when the female workers are more qualified but are excluded due to their sex. On a daily basis, the project succeeds just by bringing smiles and positivity into Lydia's life and the lives of those around her. The structure and lighting elements were designed to be fun and interesting to observe. The wings are specifically designed to represent Lydia's personality. The material the wings are made out of is thick, symbolizing Lydia's resilience in the face of adversity. Underneath the thick material, colorful lights represent her fun and playful personality once people get to know her.

Karena's Brief:

Metamorphic Wings is a wearable designed to capture the personality and accentuate the features of Tiffany Geigel, a dancer with Heidi Latsky Dance company. Consisting of wings with living hinges, Metamorphic Wings symbolizes the stigma society has towards people with disabilities and empowers them to be their true and authentic selves.

Designed to look like butterfly wings, Metamorphic Wings aims to represent Tiffany's self-image: regardless of how people judge her before knowing her, she will always feel like a majestic butterfly when she dances. The wings are made of thin wood and have living hinges at various points so that Tiffany can fold them. Elastic fabric not only adds to the "plain look" but also serves as a support for the living hinge. The plain look was incorporated so that when Tiffany opens the wings people are wowed by them in a way in which they might not have been with the wings closed. The design enhances one specific position that Tiffany assumes in the dance companies On Display performances, which show off atypical bodies and performers with disabilities. When she stands and has her arms hugging her body, the wings will fold inwards and wrap around her, mimicking a cocoon. She can also then move her arms to a T pose and the wings will be extended in full glory. This metamorphosis of the positions illustrates how people think she might be dependent because of her disability but in fact, she is a very strong independent dancer. 

Tinna's Brief:

The Metamorphic Wings is a wearable design that aims to challenge the stigma society has towards people with disabilities. The design demonstrates that people with atypical bodies are much more than their disability. The Metamorphic Wings design is created for the Heidi Latsky Dance Company's On Display performance, a deconstructed art exhibit/fashion show that highlights society’s fixation with body image. The performers are a group of people with atypical bodies who pose as sculptures in a sculpture court. The design is specifically made for Tiffany Geigel, one of the performers. Tiffany loves the spotlight when she is dancing; she describes herself as outgoing, honest, and feisty, and takes pride in shocking people and proving them wrong. She has Jarcho-Levin Syndrome, which is a rare disorder that leads to malformation of the ribs and/or back. This condition makes Tiffany’s torso unusually short but also enables her to move her body in a unique and more fluid way compared to other dancers. The design helps to unveil Tiffany's extraordinary talent and surprise the audience.

The Metamorphic Wings transforms from a cocoon-like state into a majestic abstract butterfly. The wings are made with stretchable fabric and thin wood, which gives the design structure and makes the wings stay in place. The original design was made with thermoplastic which was too flimsy so the thin wood with living hinges was introduced. The living hinges are created by edging the material in a specific pattern, making it easier for the dancer to manipulate the piece. The white elastic fabric attaches to the structural piece of the design, which is the thin wood, with spray-on adhesive. The fabric is meant to add dimension to the design and secure the living hinges.

The Metamorphic Wings have a dual purpose. They enhance the performance and communicate Tiffany’s message. Also by showcasing the talent, creativity, and independence of people with atypical bodies, The wearables for the On Display performance,  empowers not only the performers themselves but also the audience to be their unapologetic selves. 

The Mini Monarch Nursery Maddie:

A small milkweed habitat that can be attached around a tree or pole in urban areas, to provide monarch caterpillars a place to form chrysalises and turn into butterflies before being released, while also providing a learning experience for an urban community.

The Mini Monarch Nursery is a small milkweed habitat that can be attached around a tree or pole in urban areas, to provide monarch caterpillars a place to form chrysalises and turn into butterflies before being released.The habitat consists of  a cylindrical attachment cut vertically in half so that it can be attached around a tree or pole using undergirding supports, internal columns, and straps. Inside, milkweed plants are growing in soil, and outside the cylinders are covered with mesh, to both protect the caterpillars and chrysalis and let outsiders observe what is happening inside. A latch can be opened to let developed butterflies out. It can be deployed around urban areas where this sort of ecosystem is lacking, and bring some nature and life into areas where there isn't much, as well as helping a threatened species. The small ecosystem can be transported and attached to light poles around cities and towns and provides a safe but visible space for monarchs. By creating a small protected ecosystem for them to grow and thrive in, the Mini Monarch Nursery addresses the current endangerment of monarch butterflies due to loss of habitat caused by farmers and illegal loggers cutting down the milkweed plant, as well as spraying the plant with dangerous pesticides. The milkweed plant is crucial to the life cycle of a monarch butterfly as not only do the monarch caterpillars need it as their food source, but milkweed leaves are the only place that monarch butterflies will lay their eggs. The Mini Monarch Nursery helps to increase their population by giving them a safe place to complete their life cycle, while also providing a learning experience for people in urban areas who can watch the monarchs turn into butterflies. It can be both a private initiative, or put in public spaces and taken care of by community members who want to help and learn about monarchs. This may inspire people in urban communities to become more involved in helping nature and preserving the beautiful wildlife of our world. The Mini Monarch Nursery can be placed along the monarch butterflies' migration route, allowing the newly hatched butterflies to migrate and increase the population.  

The Mini Monarch Nursery Melina:
Mini-Monarch Nursery: A small urban milkweed habitat in which monarch butterflies can safely complete their life cycle before being released. This cylindrical habitat fixes around a pole in an urban space and provides the necessities for a monarch to mature: milkweed growing from it’s floor for the caterpillars to eat, a ceiling for the chrysalises to hang from, a door to release the butterflies, air holes, and a clear, protective shell.

Elementary school students gasp in awe as they watch a monarch butterfly hatch from it’s chrysalis; as they set it free, they have not only learned a great deal about the maturing of the monarch, but have also contributed to preventing this species’ extinction. As farmers and loggers illegally cut down wild milkweed plants and spray them with dangerous pesticides, they destroy the sole food source of the monarch caterpillar and the specific leaves on which the butterflies lay their eggs. This has critically impacted the population of the Monarch butterfly, causing mass die-offs during migration. This is a consequential issue that cannot wait, and the Mini-Monarch Nursery is the perfect creation and installment to face it - While also building an eco-friendly community in urban areas! This miniature ecosystem consists of an extended annulus protected by a clear mesh that attaches by hinges around a public light pole and holds dirt in which milkweed grows. The community members with the responsibility of preserving the habitat put Monarch caterpillars on the milkweed plants through the quarter door, and passerby are able to observe the life cycle of a Monarch butterfly up-close. The caterpillars inch up the walls and form chrysalises on the inner ceiling, and once the chrysalises have developed into butterflies, the Monarchs can be released. The Mini-Monarch Nursery can be placed in any urban location  along the migration path of the Monarch butterfly, to provide a protected home for the Monarch to be raised. Let your heart fly and save the Monarch butterflies with the Mini-Monarch Nursery!

Link to Presentation

Project Description: Growing Connections is an indoor gardening system that connects users by encouraging them to communicate in order to successfully grow their gardens. The system bridges social division caused by COVID-19, eases anxiety, and provides a sense of purpose for users through the shared experience of coordinated gardening.

Liquid Mood: A functional liquid-mood interface that utilizes the energy generated from living bacterial culture to power devices and produce light, while also providing storage.

This interface consists of revolving touch-activated hexagons that aggregate over an entire wall, producing a versatile tiling system, each of which showcases living Streptomyces coelicolor and bioluminescent algae. The swiveling tiles allot for storage or mirrors on the other side, making them more practical.

As a result of climate change, the planet proceeds to deteriorate, making the use of alternative energy sources such as biopower, imperative. The societal reaction to a living, green wall may not be positive, which is why multiple color options can provide users with a customizable experience based on their personal preference. The genetically engineered Streptomyces coelicolor and bioluminescent algae adapt their color based chemical changes or inputs, such as temperature, light, and pressure. These result in a distinct output or color. The bacteria generate colors specific to the user's mood to improve their state of mind.