Chaos <> Order
From craft experiments based on geometrical models and slime mould life cycle – through machine learning – to alternative technologies in fashion design.
If we manage to let go of the lens of a person deeply settled in a consumer society, at least for a short time, and look at the world as humans that can feel deeply, that are synchronised with the whole world, living and vibrating non-stop, then we’ll see that the modern technological clothing production process raises lots of questions. Each of the production stages is very energy intensive [a lot of electricity, fuel, chemicals and human resources are required]. At the same time, they are associated with irrevocable damage to the environment and a large amount of waste.
Technologies that are more natural, more connected to nature, could be a solution here. What we need is a systemic change. We should rethink everything: the kinds of materials we source, how we manufacture, and what we use the resources for. Like many others, I was looking for a way to decrease the environmental damage caused by human activity, to reconsider the toxic relationship with the environment, and to propose a zero-waste technology for creating garments in laboratories instead of sewing studios.
This project is an idyllic vision of a symbiosis between fashion, natural processes and mathematics. Mathematics, in this case, is a tool that describes all natural phenomena, emphasising the magic of natural design. The behaviour of slime mould, a one-cell living organism, was taken as a prototype of the life cycle of clothing.
Images obtained as a result of the experiments with slime mould, as well as the mathematical model of foam, were used as a foundation for machine learning. Inspired by observing this remarkable living organism, artificial intelligence created a series of proposals which allowed me to develop a range of principles and techniques for creating textiles.
Victoria Afanaseva
vikki.pro
nevikka@mail.ru