Egyn

Summary

Egyn is a piece of body art that highlights the beauty and cultural context associated with historically under-appreciated parts of our body.

My responsibilities

I worked on the whole piece from ideation to completion on my own. Started with some preliminary research, then scanned my face, 3D modeled a sculpture, built a prototype and set up a photoshoot. My good friend Billy Dang helped me with the photoshoot.

Skills

3D Scanning, 3D Modeling, 3D Printing, Critical Design, Culture, Fashion, Rapid Prototyping, Wearables.

Tools

Rhinoceros, Blender, Autodesk 123D Catch, Makerbot 3D Printer.

Project Details

Problem

Virtual reality headsets, internet connected intimates, smart watches, smart glasses, smart rings, smart everything - new artifacts are beginning to appear on our bodies that transforming our daily interaction with the world around us. In a period of technological growth, Egyn serves as a reminder to stay culturally grounded as we continue on the human journey through sculpture, art, and fashion.

Solution

Creating Egyn required a combination of new media/technology processes. I began by comparing modern wearable devices with body art that spanned across countries and time periods. Then, I created a series of fast sketches, and wearable prototypes. Wearing the paper prototypes on my face for a six hour period allowed me to test usability. Finally, I began the digitization and fabrication of the final concept. To quickly build body art that would fit my face, I 3D scanned my body. This allowed me to 3D model the body art directly onto the dimensions of my face without trouble. The process was incredibly quick. The final step was exporting the 3D model to a 3D printer, where I then patiently waited 3-5 hours for the piece to print. This piece aims to bring a touch of humor to the conversation of art and wearable technology.

Collaborators

Supervisors: Francis Bitonti and Antonius Wiriadjaja.

Collaborator: Billy Dang