NohColour presents: The Wearable Art Challenge

Curated by Miyo (artofcolor AT yahoo DOT com)

What is Wearable Art?

The body becomes a canvas; where the lines of fashion, art and craft blur and merge. Individually designed pieces as a form of artistic self-expression in the form of wearable art.
Wearable art on Wikipedia

The Challenge

Rules

The challenge is open to everyone especially those participates of Burning Man. You don’t need to have any experience nor skills in fashion, costuming, arts or crafts.
This challenge is an incentive for everyone to get involved in creating your own artistic self-expressive piece(s.
You can glue, staple, weld, melt, weave, dye, print, knit, sculpt, paint and yes even sew your wearable art.
Each contestant must build his or her own creation. You cannot have someone else make it for you. Businesses are not allowed to enter the challenge.

Categories

There are five (?) categories. You can enter only one piece per category (needs to be more clear).

- Recycled Material: Build a complete outfit using only recyclable materials such as plastic bags, foil, soda cans, plastic utensils, plates, foam, paper products and plastic bottles. Fabric may only be used as an under base structure.
- Headpiece: Headpieces must be able to stand alone on the head. Any use of materials is allowed.
- Open Category (maybe don't keep this category?): Build a complete outfit using any materials of your choice: fabric, wire, yarn, leather, felt, beads, rope, plastic, metal, technology, etc.
- Lighting and Technology: The main focus of your outfit is the use of lighting such as electroluminescent wire(el wire), fiber optic lighting, LED lighting, phosphorescent, glow in the dark and UV reactive fluorescent materials. Can be either a complete outfit or a headpiece.
- Fringes: Build a complete outfit that will create a fringed effect by using materials such as rope, string, yarn, chain, cording, fabric strips and ribbon.
- Air: (add description here)

Fashion Show

All entries will be shown in a fashion runway show at Disorient’s Compressor party in July 2008.
You have 4 months to create your piece(s).
Think about what you’d like to make and how to make it.
Express yourself! Be creative and adventurous in your concept.

Please keep in mind that all entries will be modeled at the runway show and need to withstand being taken on and off, participate in photo shoots and fittings.
You can model the piece yourself or find someone else to model it for you if you cannot attend the show.

Winners will be selected by a panel of judges.
Winners and Honorable Mentions will be announced at the end of the fashion show.

Entry forms will be available in May 2008 on the NYBurn lists, Tribe.net and Disorient.com

Ideas to spur your imagination and creativity

http://www.worldofwearableart.com/
Wearable art competition
http://hiddenice.livejournal.com/7479.html
http://www.theartofballoons.com/Page2.html
http://www.balloonfashion.com/Home_Page.php
http://www.stylefuture.com/
http://twenty1f.com/
http://www.talk2myshirt.com/

Ballon Art YouTube videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdvoiS7HY90&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJgIYTyao6c
to make a Balloon Jester Hat

Fusing Plastic Bags YOuTube Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNziDXtm1SA

plastic bottles

newspaper dress

telephone cord wig

braided plastic bag dress

Books
- Artwear: Fashion and Anti-Fashion by Melissa Leventon
- Beyond Craft: the art of fabric by Mildred Constantine and Jack Larson
- Finishing Touches for the Handweaver by Virginia West
- Issey Miyake: Making Things by Foundation Cartier pour l'art contemporain
- Knitwear in Fashion by Sandy Black
- Fashioning the Future: Tomorrow’s Wardrobe by Suzanne Lee
- Art to Wear by Julie Schafler Dale