FUTURE FRONT ROW has invited Augmented Weaving to create an artistic contribution to the first-of-its-kind holographic runway show held during AMSTERDAM FASHION WEEK at the festival MESSYVERSE on the 2. & 3. September 2023 at Felix Meritis, the house of the curious mind, in Amsterdam.

Every selected designer or collective presented a digital collection reflecting on the potential of uncovering layers of identity within ourselves by means of digital fashion. Under this umbrella, the artists have no restrictions other than the length of the catwalk and the duration of their show.

ON THE FRAYING EDGE

Fraying around the edges indicates that something is beginning to come apart, but also makes room for something new. Augmented Weaving’s work is set at the intersection between physical and virtual craft, blurring the line between these worlds.

Learning a physical craft means achieving the highest degree of perfection attainable by a human. In contrast, perfection in digital craft often means reaching the highest level of lifelike flaws attainable with software. It takes real-life knowledge to build something digitally. You have to understand how it works physically to create it as a credible digital asset. Going back to the source of old techniques, such as weaving and tailoring, but infusing them with novel technologies is enormously enriching for all fields. To preserve craft knowledge, we must make it future-proof!

Centered around textiles as their main focus, Augmented Weaving seized the opportunity presented by Future Front Row to explore the interplay between textiles and the human body in motion. The process began with the creation of avatars, who developed into distinct characters interacting with each other. Their forming identities were explored uniting elements of the past and the future and expressed through intricate digitally woven and tailored shells.

Packed with a toolbox carefully built up over the years Augmented Weaving delved into uncharted digital territory, valuing expression over perfection. The journey of experimenting with their craft continues beyond horizons.