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Abstract Everywhere: Dressing in Electromagnetic AtmospheresAsanartisticspace,theelectromagneticatmospheresitsakintothenotionofetherasanon-visualandomnipresentforce;an“abstracteverywhere”(Milutis,2002).Itformsanenergeticambiancethatseemstocome“fromnowhereandeverywhereatonce”(KahninVincenteetal.,25).Itisaspacedevoidofexactitudes,aninvisiblesandboxofinfiniteexpressionsofelectromagneticpropertiesthataffordphysicalinteraction.AsDunneposits,theelectromagneticatmosphereissimultaneouslyaphysical,conceptual,andnotionalspace(102).Tosituateoneselfinthisliminalspacerequiresamethodthroughwhichtoperceivethisenergeticetherinrelationtoourselves.Theartisticresearchthatispresentedherestemsfromapracticeofexperimentaltextiledesign,throughwhichbody-basedtextileantennadesignsareproposed.Theseantennasallowthewearertoexploretheboundariesoftheirbodywithinthiselectromagneticatmospherethroughmeansofinteraction.Astextileantennasreceiveelectromagneticwavestheyareconvertedtosoundwavesthatthewearercanhearinreal-timethroughtheuseofheadphones.Interactionwiththetextileantennascombinebodypositioning,movement,andthedirectionalqualityofelectromagneticwaves,resultinginchangestothesonicexpressionsonehears.

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Consideringthattheactofwearingonthebodyiscommunicative,wequestionhowsignificationoccurswiththesebody-basedtextileantennasastechnologicalobjects.UsingBarthes’semioticnotionsofdressobjectsanddressing,signifiedandsignifier(Barthes,1983),weexplorethenotionthattheseobjectsmaycarrysignificationthroughfrequency-basedinteractionswithelectromagneticatmosphere.Asaresult,wespeculateonbodilysignifiersforperceivingtheabstracteverywhere.

The Dressed Body

Semiotics,thestudyofsignsandsignals,hasbeenappliedtoartisticfieldssuchasfashion,literature,painting,architecture,andothers(O’Neill,39).InthispaperweusebasicnotionswithinBarthes'semiotictheoryoffashionthroughwhichheclassifiesgarmentsasobjectsofcommunication.WeturntoBarthestoexploresignificationthroughfashionobjectsduetotheproximityoffashionandtextiledesignasclosely-relateddisciplines.Bartheshasidentifiedtextilesascarriersofstrongsignifierswithinthebroadercontextoffashionsemiotics(Andrew,2015).Moreover,therelationshipofthetextileantennastothebodyfollowsthatofgarmentswornonthebody,despitetheirunusualformsandelectronicqualities.InTheFashionSystem,Barthessuggeststhatdressobjectsanddressingasanactofwearingisaconstructedformoflanguagethatconveysmeaningbothatindividualandsociallevels.Hedefinesdressingas“thepersonalmodebywhichthepersonadopts...thedress”,whilethedressobjectisdefinedasthephysicalgarmentitself.Withinthesemioticrelationship,thesignifieristhephysicalobjectathand(i.e.agarment,accessoryorsimilar)whilethesignifiedisthemeaning:theconceptualnotionthatcanonlybesuggestedthroughverbalcommunication(Barthes,55).Thesignsystemisbasedupontherelationshipbetweenthesignifiersthemselveswithinataxonomyoflikeobjects,ratherthansignifier-signifiedrelation(Mikerina,2016).Antennascansignifythereceptionandtransmissionof‘signals’,‘data’,and‘connectivity’.Theymayfurthersignifynotionsof‘technology’,‘ether’,and‘electromagneticspace’.Theyareknittedwithmetalyarnssoastocreateaconductivesurfaceforthereceptionofelectromagneticwaves.Thematerialqualityofbeingmadeofmetalyarnsalludestotheirconductivity,suggestingtheirroleassensor/actuatorwheresuchamaterialcombinationsignifiesthepresenceofelectricalsignalsandpossiblecomputationalcontrol.Asdressobjects,thetextileantennasco-minglethesetechnologicalsignificationstocreatenewrelationswithinthesphereoftechnologicaldress.ToBarthes,theactofdressingisthewayinwhichadressobjectiswornandcarriedonthebody.Weextendthisnotiontoincludehowthedressedbodymoveswithintheconstraintsandaffordancesofthedressobject.Itsexpressionrelatestotheintentionsofthewearerandisbothexploredandexperiencedwithinaninteractioncontext.Tobegin,thewearerhasanunderstandingofwhattheobjectdoes(interpretandsonicallyexpresselectromagneticwaves).Thewearerdecideshowtowearthedressobjectonbody.Then,howtomodifyandmanipulateitthroughinteraction.Thisisthepersonalizationoftheobjectsinusethatcomposesthenotionofdressing.

Dress Objects Thedressobjectsarereceiversdesignedtopickupelectromagneticfrequencieswithintherangeof50MHz-5GHz,spanningtherangeofWiFi,WLAN(wirelesslocalareanetworks),DECT(DigitalEnhancedCordlessTelecommunications),GPS(GlobalPositioningSystem),GSM(GlobalSystemforMobileCommunications),

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Bluetooth,andmainselectricity.Theyareconnectedtoanauxiliaryelectroniccircuitthattranslateselectromagneticwavestoaudiowaves,resultinginahighlytexturedandlayeredsonicexpressionofelectromagneticfields.Thetextilesarecomposedoffinecopperorstainlesssteelwires,areindustriallyknittedintoaplanarmaterialandsewnintoa3-dimensionalform.Whentheoverallformbecomesvoluminous,whenthescaleisincreased,andasmovingconductivetextilestouchoneanother,technicalpropertiesofthetextileantennasuchasimpedance,frequencyandgainarealteredandresultinchangestothesonicexpression.Contactwiththebodyviatheskinfurtherchangestheantenna’sreceptionpropertiesthroughourown“aerialness”(Dunne,2005).Thesonicexpressionsperceivedthroughthedressobjectsaredirectional,heavilytextured,andcontainmainlylayers.Duboishasdescribedthesoundsofdigitalelectromagneticfrequenciesinthefollowingways:whereGSMisconcernedthesonicexpressionisaloud,oppressive,andconsistent“ta.-ta.-ta.-ta.-ta.-ta.-ta.-ta.-ta.-ta.-ta.-ta.-”.WLANcanbeheardasaclear,compact,anddry“pa.pa.pa.pa.pa.pa.pa.pa.pa.pa”soundswithlittlegranularity.DECTisexpressedasa“‘beep.beep–beep/beep.beep–beep’signalthatoverlapsamoredetached‘tak.tak/tak.tak’sound”(Dubois,2017).Duboisfurthercharacterizesthesoundsasfluid,movingbetweenforegroundandbackgroundwhileexpressingarangeoftexturalqualitiesthatshedescribesas“granularity”,andapointofcouplingwherethesesoniclayersintermesh.

<soundfiles:GSM-30secs.wav,Bluetooth-30secs.wav;WiFi-30secs.wav;Mains-30secs.wav

Fig.1‘TetrapodicDress’extendingthecircumferenceofthebodyinfourdirections

Tetrapodic Dress

ThefirstdressobjectexploredthroughthisresearchistheTetrapodicDress(Fig.1).Withinthetaxonomyofclothing,thisdressobjectcanbebestunderstoodasanenclosurethatcloaksthebodyinanoverallmanner(Eicher&Evenson,4).Itconsistsof4textileantennasknittedwithstainlesssteelandsyntheticyarnsthatarestretchedacross4largetriangularframes(the“legs”).Eachframeisattachedtoacircularshoulderharness,theirpointsextendingdownwardstothewearer’sfeet,andeachlegcanoperateasanindividualantennaorcanbeconnectedtogetherasanantennareceiverarray.TheTetrapodicDressextendsthecircumferenceof

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thebodybynearly2metresthroughthepositioningofthelegsoutwardsandawayfromthewearer’sbody,therebyaugmentingtheboundaryofthebodyasitmesheswithelectromagneticspace.

Tunneli

Tunneliisa3-meter-longknittedcoppertubethatiswornaroundtheshouldersandthelengthofthearms.Withinthetaxonomyofclothing,thisdressobjectcanbebestunderstoodasashoulderaccessoryorshrugthatcoverstheshouldersandthearms(Eicher&Everson,6).Thearmspassthroughthecentreofthetubeaswithsleevesonaconventionalshirt,andthetubeextendsfor1metrebeyondthereachofeachofthearms.Tunnelibehavesasasingletextileantennareceiver.Beingalightweightandflexibleobject,itissubjecttodynamicmovementswhereitcanberaisedintoair,castintothewind,orscrunchedintocondensedtubes,forexample.Itservestoextendtherangeofreachofthearmsintoelectromagneticspace.

Fig.2‘Tunneli’extendingthereachofthearmsFig.3‘Supra’interpretingthespaceabovethehead

Supra

Supraisasingletextileantennareceivermadeofknittedstainlesssteelandlycra.Withinthetaxonomyofclothingthisdressobjectcanbeseenasanattachmenttothebody(Eicher&Everson11).Stretchedinitsframeitformsaplanethatservestoextendthecircumferenceofthebodyinasingledirection.Forexample,inFig.3thewearerisabletointerpretelectromagneticwavesfromtheareadirectlyabovethehead.

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Fig.4‘Ora’convertsthefacetoadynamicsurfaceforelectromagneticreception

Ora

Oraisaveilcomposedofsmallindustrially-knittedcoppertubesthathavebeenhandwovenintoaplainweavecottonbacking.Withinthetaxonomyofclothingthisdressobjectcanbeseenasaveilaccessory(Eicher&Everson6).Itisanunstablesingletextileantennareceiver.Theintermittentconnectionsmadeduringitswearcausedynamicchangesinimpedanceandthereforeinstabilityintheinterpretationofelectromagneticwavesthroughtheauxiliaryelectroniccircuit.Oraconvertsthefacetoadynamicsurfaceforelectromagneticreception.

Bodily Signifers

Thebodilysignifierscanbeunderstoodwithinthecontextofdressobjectsthataffordinteraction,andthatareotherwisenotpossiblethroughconventionaldress.Thisisduetotheirinclusionofelectronicandcomputationaltechnologies.Wesuggest,therefore,thattheybeconsideredtechnologicaldressobjects.Thebodilymovementscontainedwithineachtechnologicaldressobjectpresentbriefchoreographiesthatdemonstratetheactofsearchingforelectromagneticwaves.Locatingthesesignalsrequiresthatonemovefreelywithinelectromagneticspacewiththefullbody,exploringwhatsoundartistChristinaKubischreferstoas“electromagneticcorridors”(Cox,2018).Theresultisaformofmovingstrangethroughtheconstraintsofthetechnologicaldressobjects.

Fig.5ChoreographyforsearchingsignalswiththeTetrapodicDress

<video:tripodicdress.mp4>InFig.5,thewearerassumesvariouspositionsintheprocessofsearchingsignals.Thewearerplacesoneantennalegoutwardandtothefrontofthebody,extendingonepointofperceptionuptoonemetrefrom

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thebody.Thesideantennalegsbecomearmextensionsthatallowfordynamicmovementreachinginfront,tothesides,andbehindthebody,alongahorizontalplane.Thegestureofmovingthearmsinfrontofthebodytobringthearmextensionstogether,thentraversingthehorizontalplaneacrosssidesofthebody,andextendingtowardthebackofthebodybecomesachoreographedmovementofsearchingforsignals.

Fig.6Throwing,casting,drapingtoexploreelectromagneticspacewithTunneli

<video:Tunneli.mp4>InFig.6,thewearerexploreselectromagneticspacethroughtheuseofTunneliarmextensions.Thewearerisabletocreatedynamicmovementthroughthelightweightandflexibleexpressionoftheobject.Intheimageontheleft,thewearerrapidlyextendshisarmsoutwardsandtothesides,whilechanginghisphysicalheightbyassumingacrouchingposition.Inthecentreimage,thewearercaststhearmextensionsintotheairabovehisheadwheretheymomentarilymovewiththewind.Intheimageontheright,thewearerperceivesthespaceinfrontofhimbydanglingtheantennaverticallyataslightdistancefromthebody.

Fig.7DirectionalinteractioninelectromagneticspacewithSupra

<Soundfile:Supra-Interference.wavInFig.7,thewearerhasaplanartextileantennathatisattachedatthenavelbymeansofabelt.Heisabletomovearoundtheantennaaroundthecircumferenceofhisbodytoreceiveelectromagneticwavesinaprecise,directionalway.Inthecentreimage,hemodulatesfrequencyandgainreceptionbyusinghisbody’sinherent“aeriality”(Dunne).Fig.8demonstratesOra,wheretiltingtheheadcausesintermittentconnections,resultinginchangesinimpedanceandthereforereception.

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Fig.8Oraveilstheface,creatingabodysurfaceforthereceptionofelectromagneticwaves

<soundfile:Ora.wavItmaybefurthersuggestedthatsinglepositionsthatonemaintainssignifythesuccessfulreceptionofafrequencythatoneisreceiving.Forexample,wearingandpositioningtheTetrapodicDressasinFig.9(left)suggeststhatonehaslockedontoaWiFisignal.ThecentreimagemightdemonstratethereceptionofGSM,whilethebodypositioningintherightmostimagemightsuggestthatoneisperceivinglocalradiofrequencies.

Fig. 9 Possible Bodily signifiers of WiFi, GSM, and radio reception

ConclusionWespeculateonanear-futurewheretextileantennasarenotonlyembeddedwithingarmentsbutareabletoestablishthemselvesastechnologicaldressobjectsintheirownright.Theseobjectsinteractwiththeelectromagneticspaceanddemandgestures,movementsandchoreographiesthattypicallyarenotexpressedthroughconventionalactsofdress.Theyopentovastinteractionpossibilitiesbetweenbody,space,anddress,andsuggestperformanceandsignalreceptionvariations,suchasexpressingsoundlocallytoone’sheadphonesorvialoudspeakertoanaudience,orexpressedthroughtheknittedtextilematerialitself.Closerstill,thisartisticworkexploresthenotionthatifclothingobjectsandthewearingofthemissemiotic,thenwhatofelectromagneticdressanddressing?Howdosemioticsaccountformultidimensionalityofsmart,interactivegarments?Thisstreamofthoughtcallsfornewsemiologicalconsiderationsaroundthecouplingoftechnologicaldresswiththeelectromagneticatmospherethroughinteractions.Suchfashiondesignexpressionsandfrequency-basedchoreographiesarepossible,howeverthesetechnologicaldressobjectsmayalsoneedtoestablishthemselvesasanormativefeaturewithinthetaxonomyofclothing.Perhapsonedaywewillseethetaxonomyofclothingpresentedas:headwear,neckwear,tops,belts,trousers,footwear,...antennas.

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Works Cited Andrew,Sonja.TextileSemantics:ConsideringaCommunication-basedReadingofTextiles,TextileJournal,6:1,32-65,DOI:https://doi.org/10.2752/175183508X288680Barthes,Roland.TheFashionSystem.Univ.ofCaliforniaPress,1983.

Cox,Christopher.Invisiblecities:aninterviewwithChristinaKubisch.CabinetMagazine,2006,pp.21.doi:http://cabinetmagazine.org/issues/21/cox.phpDubois,Virginie.ElectromagneticFieldasMediumtoListentotheTextureoftheWorld.InProceedingsofInvisiblePlaces:Sound,Urbanism,andSpace.Azores,Portugal.2017.660-665.Web.10May.2020.Doi:http://invisibleplaces.org/2017/pdf/Dubois.pdfDunne,Anthony.HertzianTales:ElectronicProducts,AestheticExperience,andCriticalDesign.MITPress,2005.Eicher,JoanneB.,andSandraLeeEvenson.“TheClassificationSystemForDress."TheVisibleSelf:GlobalPerspectivesonDress,Culture,andSociety.London:FairchildBooks,2015.2–29.BloomsburyFashionCentral.Web.10May.2020.Doi:http://dx.doi.org.lib.costello.pub.hb.se/10.5040/9781501304262.ch-001Mikerina,Daria."Re-thinkingtheplaceofsemioticsinFashionStudies."XInternationalFashionConference.FashionontheMove:RethinkingDesign.UniversitätNavarra,Pamplona,Spanien.https://www.academia.edu/24750258/Re-thinking_the_Place_of_Semiotics_in_Fashion_Studies[2019-03-14].2016.Milutis,Joe.Ether:TheNothingThatConnectsEverything,UniversityofMinnesotaPress,2002.ProQuestEbookCentral,https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/boras-ebooks/detail.action?docID=310736.O’Neill,Shaleph.InteractiveMedia:TheSemioticsofEmbodiedInteraction.SpringerLondon,2008.doi:10.1007/978-1-84800-036-0.