Art. Tech. Craft. Activism.
Art. Tech. Craft. Activism.
P@tch began as a personal project created with no intention of sharing it with others let alone putting it in my thesis show. I was annoyed with armchair activism online as people share political or environmental advocacy articles online and then do not live their lives that way here in the physical space. Like a Fitbit for your ethical performance, P@tch is a hand-embroidered soft-circuit patch that allows the user to track their progress as an advocate for an ethical stance. The P@tch utilizes the ethos of Punk, DIY/Lo-fi, and digital open source movements by posting all sources, material, and instructions online for anyone to access. By making all of these resources public I hope to foster a more inclusive space for voices that are often unheard in new media art and tech fields in general. My intention was to redirect the perception of a highly styled corporatized self-tracking device to a handmade object. The wearable would allow the user to track their environmental behavior enabling them as consumers to question a culture that values physical performance, beauty, and productivity over other acts. The workshop series, as well as the online instructional pages, allow anyone interested to create their own making it antithetical to the corporatized self trackers on the market.
This activity is made possible in part by the Indiana Arts Commission, which receives support from the State of Indiana and the National Endowment for the Arts.
“LIKE A FITBIT FOR YOUR ETHICAL PERFORMANCE, P@TCH IS A TEXTILE-BASED NEW MEDIA PROJECT THAT USES LIGHT AND SOCIAL MEDIA TO ALLOW THE USER TO TRACK THEIR PROGRESS AS AN ADVOCATE FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL, ETHICAL STANCE. P@TCH WORKSHOPS ARE BUILT TO CREATE A SPACE FOR CREATIVITY AND DISCUSSION SURROUNDING THE CONFLICT BETWEEN PERSONAL AND CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY TO AFFECT CHANGE. ”
Color Change Code Here: Get the Code Here
Gas Sensor Code Here: GitHub