HACKING_Couture:: Chanel + Polo + YSL: REMIXEDHacking Couture focuses on the documentation of established fashion identities in order to create a shared library that allows democratic access to its findings and contributions. The open source movement took its peak during the 1990's and ever since, the software revolution has allowed for the exploration resulting on endless advancement in diverse fields, giving an improvement of the industry.
This advancement has been the result of opening the dialogue among computer programmers and by allowing public access and contribution, by the sharing of existing computer code and allowing its use for other applications. In addition to the sharing aspect, documention of these computer code is an importnat part of the open source cullture. More recently, the open source movement has been applied to hardware [physical aspect of computers, the circuit and all the other physical components that make a computer*]. People have started to document how they hack into electronic devices [brake into a system and modify it in order for it to execute the desired task].
Hacking Couture's ongoing research and documentation focuses on the documentation of the design code of established identities in order to derive new and evolving fashion aesthetics, serving also as a platform for self-expression and nest for new ideas.
*When we refer to computers, we refer to any device that incorporates a micro-controller of chip. Some examples these devices are mp3 players, microwaves, printers, etc.
Once
the code has been documented Hacking Couture publishes an example of a design hack based on the identity studied, in order to share and enhance the fashion dialogue between remote users, and participants of the Hacking Couture workshops.
Culture is inherently infectious and often oblivious to the artificial boundaries established by formal disciplines. New ideas and ways of thinking infiltrate societies in strange and wonderful ways, which are hard to control, forecast, or map. Information travels at a speed faster than sound, and technology increasingly shapes that informational content more than ever.
viral:CULTURE symposiumCulture, which normally spreads spontaneously and organically, now moves faster and farther than ever before, creating emergent phenonemna similar to that found in the biological world.
viral:CULTURE is the term we are using to explore a slice of this phenomenon- the creative activities of art and design.
WHAT IS IT?Viral by definition is anything related to or caused by a virus, but its real significance for us is metaphorical because of its replicating capacity both internally and externally. We live in dread of bio-viruses because we can't see them and have trouble controlling them. Still we are all very much engaged in the transmission of viruses both biologically and socially. The reckless sneeze or passionate kiss; the buzz and excitement of the new; or simply juicy gossip spread by word..... All of these are viral. The cultural viruses are energized by virtual tools via the web for mass emails, blogs, list serves, and social websites help spread their effects.
HOW DOES IT WORK?Anything can be viral so long as it grows and replicates through transmission. Ideas are the oldest forms of non-biological viruses. A good idea unleashes not only a persuasive power, but real information that others can use for their own purposes. The virus enters the body politic in curious ways: through ideas captured in the language of a book, by objects in a gallery or museum, via acts of courage or daring, through new building structures, and by new consumer products which force us to act and interact differently. Technology, social needs/desires, political will, etc. all help transmit viral ideas.
WHY DOES IT WORK?Viral activity works because we are constantly crunching information (in every form) to better understand things and integrate them into our environment. The impact of viral activity is potentially most profound when it disregards disciplinary boundaries: for example when a designer or artist utilizes knowledge from outside his/her own field, or merges knowledge within different fields felt to be more closely aligned. Bio-mimicry is a current area of investigation rich in viral possibilities: people trying to better understand the way in which nature operates so as to harness that particular power. Music, because of its aural nature, has always encouraged experimentation: music morphs constantly as musician's embrace music from around the world and incorporate it into their own.
Those who embrace viral:CULTURE do not differentiate the quality of ideas by who or what field generated them. They simply see power and variety and natural connections that others don't necessarily see. Such powerful ideas eventually become mainstream. Viral is not necessarily about trends as much as it is about possibilities-- being naturally inspired regardless of the source and incorporating it into one's own practice. Boundaries are broken and new ground cleared for collaboration or expansion of one's activities. Especially now in the age of virtual information (code, open-source, blogging, hacking, and the like) people are beginning to view ideas as containing a code which can be freely interpreted once it is deciphered or interpreted. Software enables more sharing and merges than ever before and provides people with visualization tools to express themselves more easily.
