This month we were treated to a different look at the field of biomimicry, a fashion look, at the exhibition of the graduates of the course "Signaling: a biomimetic look at fashion design" that was presented in Shankar
This month we were treated to a different look at the field of biomimicry, a fashion look, at the exhibition of the graduates of the course "Signaling: a biomimetic look at fashion design" presented in Shankar. The exhibition summarizes a collaboration between two fashion design departments: Asmod-Berlin and Shanker-Israel, initiated by the Goethe Institute Tel Aviv and supported by the Atid Germany Israel Foundation. The course was led by the duo Rachel Berman-Hadari and Ilan Lior Meshankar, and by colleagues in Berlin.
The collaboration began by choosing a common topic that the students researched - biomimetic research and its application in the world of design. At the beginning of the course, the students received background on the field of biomimicry, and each of them received a topic for research, from a list of topics that express various mechanisms in the natural world, such as: camouflage mechanisms, prey and protection, temperature regulation, and more.
Each of the students focused on a different project, and researched how the biological knowledge they studied could be translated into the design of a wearable garment. The students were instructed not to be satisfied with the visual inspiration, but to also learn from the way nature solves problems, and to translate these solutions into the world of fashion. The process included the development of appropriate materials, and the development of shapes and textures that reflected the natural function that served as inspiration for the projects.
In the exhibition, the models designed by the students from Germany and Israel were presented according to the division into the research topics, and the search is documented in the sketchbooks that were placed next to the works.
Here are some examples of projects presented:
Rotem Segev - designed an evening dress inspired by the principle of honoring nature, where the center of gravity is the exaggeration and exaggeration of a fabric chain. You can also read about the process Segev Rotem went through during the course on her personal blog.
Lynn Friedman studied defense mechanisms, and focused on the phenomenon of cutting off the tail as a defense against the attacker. The mechanism is based on breaking points that allow quick disconnection. These breaking points led to the search for new techniques for joining parts and designing a modular garment, where many parts can be detached and reattached.
Inbar Ben-Shabat studied camouflage mechanisms, in which layers of cells containing pigments are dispersed in the cell space and change the color of the octopus, for example. The garment implemented the camouflage mechanism using nylon pouches containing pigments. Their spread over the outer fabric layer creates the possibility of camouflage / assimilation into the environment for the wearer.
Noa Sancho researched the strangulation and poison method. The research led to the use of "shrink" tubes from the world of electronics and electricity, which shrink when heated. Contraction, cutting and the hardening of the material by heating simulate the contraction of the heart and lung muscles following the venom and the feeling of suffocation and helplessness.
Noi Goldstein dealt with the subject of temperature control, and studied the cactus with its spiky structure. The model she created shows the connection between wavy surfaces and images of spikes, which cast shadows on the surface of the plant.
The field of biomimicry makes accessible to designers a wide world of solutions and ideas, which reflect a different way of thinking than the familiar and well-known. The purpose of the course was to enrich the world of conceptual resources of the designers and to expand the research aspect underlying the design work, through the principles underlying solutions in nature. The works indeed reflect other ideas drawn from the content world of nature, ideas that infuse clothing with an innovative and interesting spirit.
