Ying Gao is a Montreal-based Chinese fashion designer, artist and university professor. She creates clothing that reflects the beautiful combination of textile and technology. The latest collection she presents, ‘possible tomorrows’, consists of two robotized garments that reacts in the presence of a stranger.
Gao’s design was developed from a series of algorithms linked to the realm of fingerprint recognition. When the device sends data that the system doesn’t recognize, the microprocessor will trigger poetic movement of the garments.
Gao has achieved personal distinction through numerous creative projects across Europe. For Gao, design is the medium, situated in the technological rather than in the textile realm : sensory technologies allow garments to become more poetic and interactive.
The designs employ nylon mesh, nylon thread, PVDF thread, thermoplastic, and electronic devices, creating an armor-like and futuristic appearance. The designer explains,
“The purpose of the project is to subvert the logic of security so that both garments become anti-security objects. The logic of security has become a political technology, that too often prevents us from emancipating. I would like the dresses’ movements are triggered by a fingerprint scanner built into a wooden frame that sits around the wearer’s neck.”