Textile Publications 5:  Ongarments

Editor Contrechoc

Publication trousers

What is the publishing difference between a dress shape and a 

trouser shape? A dress form is much more “united surface. A 

trouser shape is much more twice cylinder, with a connecting 

upper cylinder. Pants were once invented to protect legs when 

riding a horse. That was the time when the invention of horse 

fighting was enough to conquer the world. From which it can be 

learned that something interesting like pants can be developed 

from something as negative as conquering the world.

The trouser legs were once loose leg protectors. When those leg 

protectors are connected with a "crossing", the pants are created.

Pants and a dress both take gravity into account, which a book 

doesn't. To keep the text legible, the direction of gravity is important. There is an above and below.

Unlike the “openness of a book the ongarment text is legible and 

illegible. Not all surfaces can be surveyed at once. A text can run or 

even disappear under a seam. Is this a problem? Well, if it is 

assumed that one reads the text. Not if one thinks that “reading a 

text” is some sort of ideal situation. But the question is whether a 

text – even in a book or a newspaper – is ever really read. What is 

“reading”? Reading presupposes understanding, in all the meaning 

layers, the superficial layers as well as the deeper layers and the 

layers that even the author doesn't realize, and also the layers that 

arise from the reactions to the text and how the text develops. 

relates in history. Really reading a text takes years and never ends. 

Then, once the text has been read, more and more parts are 

quickly forgotten. Given these two observations, it does not seem 

to be a problem anymore that the text cannot be read in its 

entirety on an ongarment publication.

So pants, trousers – not to conquer the world.

Besides the curves that hide the text – on these trousers there is 

also a pattern that makes pentagonal holes everywhere. This 

pattern is intended to accommodate climate change. This is an 

incredibly cool pants. Coping with climate change cannot be done 

with a book. But a book does have another advantage. The choice 

of direction within the gravitational axis is rather important: is the 

text readable for the wearer of the pants? Only if the text is upside 

down for the rest of the world. So, the pants prove the 

unbridgeable gap between the self and the rest, the book, on the 

other hand, does not. The book is perhaps a more democratic 

everyone’s friend, the publication pants are more loyal to you.

ONLINE -> ONGARMENTS

See the pants in action:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/contrechoc/51402923102/in/dateposted/

51.438470688796706,

5.443782327506125

Fashion Tech Farm

Manifold of Labeledby – 3D print on stretch fabric.

Swatch Exchange Magic 5

Editor Contrechoc

Explorations of families of e-textile swatch concepts.

The magic of the illusion of efficient textile production.

Maybe?

Anyway:

What is efficient: something rectangular.

What is orderly: something rectangular.

What can we trust: something rectangular.

What can we oversee: something rectangular.

What can we make: something rectangular.

What can we produce: something rectangular.

Knitting and weaving can be done by hand. 

Made by hand - but wait, the illusion is - nearly made by a machine.

The hand as a machine, so cleverly regular!

Improving your technique until your hand and you are more mechanical than a machine.

2014 pressure switch knit - Katharina Bredies, Pauline Vierne - knitting

http://etextile-summercamp.org/swatch-exchange/pressure-switch-knit/

2016 circuit knitting - Jesse Seay - knitting

http://etextile-summercamp.org/swatch-exchange/circuit-knitting/

2015 hand woven waffle Mika Satomi

http://etextile-summercamp.org/swatch-exchange/hand-woven-waffle-sensor/

2016 circuit knitting - Jesse Seay - knitting

http://etextile-summercamp.org/swatch-exchange/circuit-knitting/

2015 weaved matrix - Maurin Donneaud - woven

http://etextile-summercamp.org/swatch-exchange/weaved-matrix/

2020 mini matrix Emma wood - woven

http://etextile-summercamp.org/swatch-exchange/mini-matrix/

Compare this to the anti production: making all 25 e-textile 

swatches different…

Beam Contrechoc:

http://etextile-summercamp.org/swatch-exchange/tiny-knittings/

Contribution by Ido van Blijdesteijn