Day-­to-­Day Speculation: Designing and Wearing Dynamic Fabric

In this paper we describe Greenscreen Dress, a material speculation inquiry that investigates the wearing experience of dynamic fabric in everyday life. In this study the researcher has worn a "greenscreen garment" every day for seven months. Coupled with a chroma-key smartphone application, she has photographed the garment and digitally composited upon it multiple digital colours, patterns and videos. The fashion expressions were uploaded to Instagram and so situated within a digital social ecosystem. We argue that combining the wearing of dynamic fabric with design activities, the inquiry of what it might mean to wear dynamic fabric moves speculation into day-to day living by drawing from the interactions of the researcher’s everyday life. As innovations in smart textiles and wearable technologies become more accessible, knowledge gained from this research critically inquires into the everydayness of this breed of technological system. The research draws insights from design, fashion, and material performances in the daily life of the researcher. The project contributes critical insights into fashion and technology for clothing designers and in to new methodological terrains for research through design.