We are now looking to find an installation setting or a permanent home for the TECHstyle SoftWEAR/ Surface & Shape installation. One spot for a possible installation is the KCI Center for Innovation Art Gallery at Foothill College. It is a beautiful space that formerly housed a telescope. Here is a video of the space:
The installation is almost complete!
Yesterday I visited the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles to see the progress on the installation. Here are some photos of the interplay between Rick's and Colleen's creations for the 01SJ Biennial Festival.
Colleen Quen began her installation yesterday. There were so many components to assemble!
Installation Process:
Interns Barbie and Elena with the garment before its installation.
lantern shapes using fusionwear sv fabrics
Below: Video Colleen took of raising her Emotion piece.
This week Rick Lee has been installing his creation for the TECHstyleSoftWEAR: Surface & Shape installation. I will see it today in person. Wow! It is so cool to see the idea take real form in the real space! He and his assistants really engineered the pieces in an elegant way...they created stitch like perforations in the aluminum so that the pieces bend along these fold lines. So elegant! I cannot wait to see Colleen's garments installed in the space. She is bringing the garments down today.
First section goes up.
These pieces are suspended by cables which extend up throgh the ceiling tiles to load beams 11 feet about the dropped ceiling.
This is an intersesting shot to look at carefully. It really gives scale to the work and you can see four ladders and a hydrolic lift were involved to ge the pieces up!! So much goes into an installation behind the scenes.
Rick's installation is up!
I think these pictures speak for themselves. I cannot wait to see the garment lit up and installed and in dialog with the other more flowing garment. Seeing this pieces evolve from initial design to final stages of the form has been very exciting.
A few days ago Colleen sent me some new images of the garments in progress. I love this top to the second garment. I'd wear this! I like how the collar echoes the solar panel design. I think it is both sporty and elegant and definitely is some thing I could envisions someone wearing to work during the day or dressing up for the evening. It is a functional piece.
Top for suspended garment. This uses the solar panel patterns.
Below: These are beautiful just stacked. I can not wait to see them assembled and hung in the museum gallery.
Colleen says, "240 yards of boning used already. 1/4 more ways to go!!! It's finally coming together. Assembling the entire art piece this week and next. Still need to sew sleeves and structure of peplum."
elements of the skirt for the suspended garment.
Topography garment just about completed.
Rick Lee and his assistants work on prototype of the hanging installation.
Reflection of Rick Lee and assistants in form
Folded structure. The mirror surface will create interesting views of Colleen's garments.
Folding the piece along its perforations.
Folding the piece. There will be 20 or so of these forms which will form the environment.