under my skin 2005

Can wearable technology invoke the experience of intimacy? In order to research this question I developed the intimacy-model which illustrates intimacy on three basic physical and psychological levels:
1. with ones own body,
2. with space and
3. with other people.

From this model I developed wearable technology that used infra-red sensors to sense space, and vibration motors to give tactile feedback. The technology was made for two people, where one person could physically experience another person's space. On dancers the crudeness of the vibration of the wearables blocked out they their own internal perception and created a smaller intimacy towards their own body. Through interaction with technology and another person it was possible to let each-other experience vibrations, that depending on the situation, could be experienced as intimate, irritating or hostile (unwanted intimacy).

Under my skin was my master thesis project for the Master Media Technology at the University of Leiden. My inspiration for this project came from experiences of people and space in improvisational dance. The project's been presented at the Mediamatic October Salon 2005, The Maker Faire at Euro OSCON (O'Reilly European Open Source Convention) and in gallery 'Le Petit Port' in Leiden.