TROUSERS TO CLIMB TREES #1
CIRCE FELLOWSHIP, JUNE - OCT 2024
“Trousers to Climb Trees” is an investigative design practice; a case study that emerged from my PhD research. The pilot project aims to develop trousers for neurodivergent individuals who can be deeply affected by the tactile, sonic and kinaesthetic sensations of the clothing they wear. It translates academic knowledge into meaningful industry applications. It is generously funded by a CIRCE Fellowship dedicated to supporting creative entrepreneurship and social impact.
Below is the starting point: an exercise that explores the movement range and quality needed to climb trees comfortably.
“I want to be able to climb trees in my clothing. You didn’t ask me what I wanted to do in them. You asked me how I wanted to feel in them. I’m not necessarily going to climb a tree, but I’d like to feel that it’s a possibility”
The title of the pilot project is inspired by my neurodivergent co-creators’ expression of how they wish to feel in their clothing.
the project is about freedom; freedom from sensory discords, freedom of movement, freedom of self-expression, free from judgement. It's about comfort; a balancing act between physical, social and emotional experiences. They do not desire sporty climbing gear or expansive sweatpants. The context of use is the office meeting, typing at a desk, grocery shopping, coffee with friends.
The key activity in the pilot project is a series of embodied design workshops whereby neurodivergent participants explore how the fabric responds to the movement of their body as they climb trees. Together we shape the fabric as they move, then translate the fabric into a kinetic pattern from which we construct prototypes to be tested.
Test protocol of dynamic tree climbing movements, and study of fabric interaction in these positions, developed with my participants.
I will update my progress here in November 2024.