Light Artist Presentation – CuteCircuit

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About CuteCircuit

CuteCircuit designs clothing that utilizes innovative circuit technology to enhance the sensory and emotional experience of fashion. It was founded by Francesca Rosella and Ryan Genz in 2004​. Celebrities such as Katy Perry, Fergie and U2​ have worn pieces by CuteCircuit at events like the Met Gala and performances. CuteCircuit has also collaborated with prominent brands such as Chanel and Converse​. In addition to products involving light, CuteCircuit also creates other wearable technology like the SoundShirt which provides a tactile experience synced with music, allowing deaf or hard of hearing people to experience music in a new way.

Galaxy Dress (2009)

​The Galaxy Dress was part of the “Fast Forward: Inventing the Future” exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago​. It is composed of 24,000 RGB LEDs, 40 layers of pleated silk organza crinoline, and thin, flexible circuits that are hand-embroidered onto the silk. This piece displays CuteCircuit’s goal of using technology to aid in self-expression.

Kinetic Dress (2010)

The Kinetic Dress is a Victorian style evening gown embroidered with electroluminescent thread. It is strangely undocumented on the internet, so I am not even sure the image above is the actual dress or another dress from the same collection. The kinetic dress utilizes sensors that detect speed, and the dress gets brighter as the user moves faster. This allows for movement to be portrayed in a new way.

TShirtOS (2012)

TShirtOS is a shirt with a programmable​ 32×32 LED grid​. It can be controlled by app​ and also includes a built-in micro-camera, microphone, accelerometer and speakers​. Not only does this piece reflect CuteCircuit’s goal of using technology to aid in human connection through self-expression, it also shows their interest in sustainability. Having one shirt that can be worn in many different ways could decrease the need for having an excess of clothing and always buying new products to keep up with trends. With this garment, an update to the programming can be enough to follow a trend.

CuteCircuit x EasyJet (2015)

CuteCircuit collaborated with EasyJet to design uniforms for their cabin crews and engineers. LED arrays were added to crew uniforms to increase visibility during emergencies and display information such as the flight number. LEDs were added to the hoods of the engineer uniforms for hands-free illumination of inspected areas. This is a more utilitarian usage of light, but it still has interesting design components and aligns with CuteCircuits goals of enhancing communication with light and other technology.

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