Motion Capture

I got invited to a fascinating lecture and now my brain is doing cartwheels. 

Exploring motion capture technology to transform both the method of creating design and pattern cutting for sustainable fashion design. 

I went thinking this wouldn’t bear much relevance to my project as I’m not particularly tech savvy or interested in motion capture and I’m so pleased to have been proven wrong! It’s the best feeling and now my ideas are running at a million miles per hour. 

Dr Devabrata Paramanik presented his research paper where they attached motion sensors to a person and it recorded their movements. They took the data that was produced from the motion senses, which were displayed as different colour dots depending on the sensor, and laid them onto pattern cutting paper.

Connecting the same colour data points, they created shapes that formed the pattern design and from these, made garments. As someone with no pattern cutting experience, this feels like a really fun approach that probably contradicts what formal pattern cutting training would teach. 

In relation to my work, I would like to continue developing the topics I was researching for the first module around Greenham Common, fast fashion and gendered items. 

Applying this concept of motion capture into my work, I like the idea of movement with intent and purpose. This would be through the action of hoovering or ironing, and connecting sensors to the objects to capture those data points. 

I’m keen to get into the motion studio and see where this leads.

Reference image

Dr Devabrata Paramanik & Dr Debbie Moorhouse. [Presentation] Exploring Motion Capture Technology to transform both the method of creating design and pattern cutting for sustainable fashion design. Department of Music & Design Arts, School of Arts and Humanities, University of Huddersfield, UK.