10. Implications and applications
This week I worked trying to define my final project idea. From the beginning I wanted to create 3D printed shoes scanning the feet and making them personalized to every customer. But during the classes and learning new skills I really liked 3D printing over fabric, found so interesting the use of Grasshopper and definitely Wearables. Also I wanted to mix this into body movement and make a perfomative project.
Finally I decided to make shoes for Urban dancers and use the body as an instrument to create new posibilites during the performance show.
This video shows how important is for dancers to choose the right shoes for them to dance.
To start I thought in a certain person and I imagine how she or he is and what he is looking for. I went into a dancer profile and create a story with the lifestyle this person has. I created a character named Stefani and started describing who she is.
Stefani is part of the Urban Dancer community. The HIP HOP dance is part of other street dance styles like Dancehole, Popping, Waacking, Locking, House, Krump and many more. Every one of them have a certain identity. Expressed by distinctive movements, speed, beats, but most important how they interpret music.
From the very beginnings of Hip Hop style the dancers started to create spaces and events to perform a choreography in a stage by one dancer or a group and compete between different cities and states along the US but also to learn from others and share their passion.
Through time this art expression has evolved and the movements have become more and more difficult but one of the most notourios evolution for Hip Hop is to start telling stories and give a message through the dancing as says Keone Madrid: ''.... And we are also starting to do a lot more storytelling with our movement, which is an artistic direction I really love. Choreographers are pushing the boundaries beyond dance.” Also he says: ''Instead of recording choreography with a point-and-shoot from the front of the studio, dancers are pushing the artistic envelope with high-production videos in 4K resolution, shot from different angles, in new settings, with costumes, lighting, acting, comedy, props, motion graphics… Anything to deliver a more comprehensive message.''
And that's exactly what I understood when defining Stefani's desires. Today and in the future, the dancing in terms of art is not just a beautifull performance you see on stage. I think dancing is transforming now and it is about another way to communicate different thoguths. Dancer are exploring new possibilities to express themselves and now are introducing interactive platforms to do it.
With this information what I want to do for the final project is:
Searching the state of art I've found projects using technology into shoes. In therms of dancing E-traces is a good reference thinking in mark the dancing movement and project it on a screen.
The difference with my project is not just tracking the movement and project it but make it part of the performance rather music, lights or another. To use the data to make a show. To upgrade the dancing art with technology.
Some of the research include projects that uses shoes as wearables.
This video shows an App that helps people who's learning to dance how to follow the rythm. The instructuble is here
Trying to define a map of how this project will be running I created a diagram to understand the steps of the process and the team it needs. 1. Designing 2. Production 3. Distribution 4. Service 5. Cycle of the shoes
Thinking in the Ultra-personalised service I found this Creating Ultra-Personalised Shoes Combining Shoe Data with Life Data There is a phrase by Troy Nachtigall that says “It’s not making a unique version of a product like bespoke does but making a unique version by using your anatomy, your biology and your social behaviours.”. So it made me
