During this salon, we enjoyed an evening of FashionTech where we showcased garments that fuse cutting-edge style with bespoke robotics.
Dutch FashionTech designer Anouk Wipprecht is the creator of an impressive body of high-tech couture, with signature dresses that sense and respond to their wearer and the surrounding social environment. Her work is aesthetically powerful enough to be used in events and commercials that have been seen by millions, and technically sophisticated enough to be featured in hardcore engineering publications and conferences.
More recently, her hostess dresses have been enhancing the experience of patrons at Journey NYC. At this Salon, Wipprecht presented a number of her dresses—some of which were modelled live—including a fully-functional robotic cocktail-dispenser dress. Wipprecht was accompanied by IEEE Spectrum editor, occasional technology historian, and sci-fi critic and futurist Stephen Cass. Cass talked about the rich legacy of the intersection between art and technology and how New York City area artists and engineers have played a central role in that story to the present day. Together Wipprecht and Cass led a conversation about the art of infusing clothes with computation, the physical and psychological intimacy of wearable technologies, and the future of FashionTech.
IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. More details about IEEE at https://www.ieee.org/.
Journey NYC, a unique dining entertainment enterprise, introduces theatrical gastronomy to New York City with an exciting blend of immersive video installations, fine dining, fashion tech and theatre. Created through the collaboration of a top team culled from the worlds of Broadway, fashion, multimedia and the culinary arts, Journey is a wholly original experience. More details about Journey NYC at https://journeyexperience.nyc/.