{"id":348,"date":"2019-09-05T07:23:33","date_gmt":"2019-09-05T07:23:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.joshuarosenstock.com\/teaching\/lightart-a19\/?p=348"},"modified":"2019-09-05T07:23:33","modified_gmt":"2019-09-05T07:23:33","slug":"light-artists-cutecircuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.joshuarosenstock.com\/teaching\/lightart-a19\/nmweddington\/light-artists-cutecircuit\/","title":{"rendered":"Light Artists: CuteCircuit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CuteCircuit is a pioneer in fashion wearable technology by merging futuristic fashion designs and smart fabric with advanced technology to create a magical interactive experience for their customers and viewers. Francesca Rosella, who worked as a designer for Valentino, and Ryan Genz, an art and anthropology major, co-founded the company. They met in 2001 at the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea in Italy. Sharing the common goal of amplifying body senses through technology, they decided to create CuteCircuit. The company made its debut in America in 2004 as the worlds first wearable technology brand. They specialize in creating everyday attire, haute couture, and special projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cofounders Francesca Rosella and Ryan Genz <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On the CuteCircuit website, casual clothes and accessories can be purchased for roughly 250-1000 pounds. They do a great job at intertwining the tech into the various fabrics use, making the garment look smooth. The LEDs are not noticeable unless they are illuminated at the time. A lot of the items include luminous transparent sequence which helps with this blending. The app \u201cQ by CuteCircuit\u201d can be downloaded in the Appstore and is used to control all the garments worn. This app shows the charge of the battery, allows the user to change the text, pattern, and colors displayed on each product. Each product is powered by the \u201cTwirkle Battery\u201d. This 2cm x 3.1 cm x 0.5 cm battery includes a USB-C port that is used to charge the battery, a motion sensor to detect physical activity and change the colors of the LEDs, and a single button that turns the battery on and off. The battery plugs into the garment by snapping the 6 connectors with the receivers and tucking it into the side pocket. The clothing is machine washable, but the battery must be detached before washing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Casual Attire <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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    Twirkle Battery<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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    LED Clutch<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    CuteCircuit designs gowns for celebrities to wear on the red carpet, artist to perform in, and models to walk the runway in. The Met Gala, established in 1948, occurs every spring at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The gala is hosted to raise money for the costume institute and mark the opening of the annual exhibit, which has a different theme every year. In 2010, Katy Perry wore a CuteCircuit gown composed of 3200 LEDs. The theme that year was \u201cAmerican Women: Fashioning a National Identity\u201d, and Katy represented the theme well as the first attendee in history to ever wear a light-up dress. Zendaya followed a similar style this year. The 2019 theme was \u201cCamp: Notes on Fashion\u201d, so attendees were expected to arrive in something that represented the artifice of an exaggeration, very theatrical, or a parody on pop culture. Zendaya arrived in a plain space grey Tommy Hilfiger gown but at the wave of a wand, the dress came to life as a luminescent blue, just like in the cartoon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      Katy Perry Met Gala 2010<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      Zendaya Met Gala 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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