The Constellation Dresses and the Leeches raise specific questions regarding our increasing need for power – electric energy – in order to feed the electronic devices that we wear on our bodies and will soon be integrating into our electronic garments. These projects address ecological concerns through the design of garments that directly tackle issues of power consumption and sustainability through the exploration of different parasitic metaphors, where electronic modules suck power from our bodies and electronic garments suck power from each other. Central to this exploration is the question: where does power come from in a wearable context and how do we connect to various power sources?
Joanna Berzowska, © XS Labs 2004