Dezeen Magazine

Living Pod by Ying Gao

These clothes by Montreal fashion designer Ying Gao curl and unfurl in reaction to light.

Living Pod by Ying Gao

Called Living Pod, the first dress contains light sensors that activate tiny electric motors sewn into the fabric folds.

Living Pod by Ying Gao

Ruffles in the second dress copy and exaggerate this movement, spilling out from a slash in a leather coat.

Living Pod by Ying Gao

The project is on show at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec in Canada, entitled Ying Gao: Art, Fashion and Technology, alongside Gao's dresses that look like they're breathing - see our earlier story.

Living Pod by Ying Gao

The exhibition continues until 28 August.

Living Pod by Ying Gao

Photographs are by Dominique Lafond.

Here are some more details from Ying Gao:


Living pod

Coats in the series Living Pod were developed in tribute to the British architectural collective Archigram. In the 1960s, Archigram conceived mobile, ephemeral and inflatable structure-dwellings.

Living Pod by Ying Gao

Light, shape variations and mimicry meet in Living Pod. In front of the false twin pieces, the user can slowly set garment A in motion using a light source.

Living Pod by Ying Gao

Garment B then imitates piece A in an exaggerated and unbalanced fashion, changing structure through miniature electric motors activated by light sensors that are sewn through the garment.

Living Pod by Ying Gao

Using flat-pattern cutting techniques, Ying Gao was able to give the process fluidity and flexibility. In addition to the mechanical movements of the garments, Living Pods underlines two fundamental aspects of today’s fashion system: confrontation and imitation.

Living Pod by Ying Gao

The garment plays a mediating role between man and his environment. By using light, Living Pod is similar to project Walking City, which uses air to make the pieces look like they are breathing.

2 interactive coats. Leather, super organza and electronic devices