Ashley, That's a really interesting point you bring up about how the normative body is configured through the realisation of wearable technology (as fantasy?), and something that philosopher Don Ihde talks about in his book Bodies in Technology.
Today I met with Isabel Jones of Salamanda Tandem in Nottingham, UK, a company which works through dance and touch based interaction with people of all abilities. The company constantly reappraise their working methods, connecting with other disciplines to learn and share practice. Their sensory environments, such as Living Space at Rufford last month, are richly interconnected material and digital spaces facilitated by both dancers and practitioners (based on person-centred skills rather than formal training), and are completely oriented to creating a framework for others' creativity and expression. In particular, towards providing a space and the necessary awareness of value for those with disabilities who have limited access not just to consuming the arts but to expression through such practices. While Salamanda Tandem do not work explicitly with wearable technology, many of the artefacts in these spaces are formally undecidable enough to be transformed into personal space s, bring the larger scale into a more intimate scale. We are currently talking about how to bring textiles into this environment, both sensing and passive, although increasingly I have issues with this dichotomy. I look forward to others' thoughts! Sarah DISCLAIMER: This email is intended solely for the addressee. It may contain private and confidential information. If you are not the intended addressee, please take no action based on it nor show a copy to anyone. In this case, please reply to this email to highlight the error. Opinions and information in this email that do not relate to the official business of Nottingham Trent University shall be understood as neither given nor endorsed by the University. Nottingham Trent University has taken steps to ensure that this email and any attachments are virus-free, but we do advise that the recipient should check that the email and its attachments are actually virus free. This is in keeping with good computing practice. _______________________________________________ empyre forum empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au http://www.subtle.net/empyre
