Fashion drawing

I found two informative books on fashion drawing that contain inspiring examples for explanatory design.

The FASHION DRAWING BOOK - Il Figurino di Moda




The PATTERN MAKING BOOK - Il Modellismo Sartoriale




In fashion design

Everyday life on wow

I play World of Warcraft.
So little is said about the social life and the partnership difficulties of one wanting to fight spiders while the other one wants to gather some herbs. This comic was sent to me by Adam (a powerful priest who collects herbs) ... enjoy (wow humour only)



My character is a warrior, profession engineer, level 28. I am in the peaceful Alliance maybe I'll try the Horde.



And later, I found a super wow fitness program on Nicolas' blog that I will be sure to follow


In favorite games

What is happiness?

The french artist Sébastien Schuller
(from the Yvelines, Versailles or Trappes) has the best definition so far:

'In the mildness of the spring
You feel creepy like a worm
In your lost enchanted brain
You're proud to go
With the fairness of your skin
You feel funny in this world
In your lost enchanted dreams
Weeping willow'

From his album Happiness.

Video-clip

In French music as we like it

A haptic psycho therapeutic Barbie for violent kids?

Recently, Florence Gallez --Moscow correspondent for the Bureau of National Affairs-- sent me two articles about the future of the Barbie dolls. Either to mention that it is time to kill her or that 'Barbie's new dad is searching for the doll's missing wow' ...
Well, I remember a WOW and this by only switching voices between Barbie and GI Joe dolls. Maybe Mattel could receive some advice from Mike Bonanno (the Yes men) ...

In any case, I think it is time for us to make a Psycho-therapeutic Barbie that squeezes violent kids with her tiny little hands ... Touchcasting is working on that new Barbie revival!

Barbie as Cat Woman

In psycho toys

Harvard University commencement 2006

,

The 2006 commencement ceremony at Harvard University

Official news about the commencement ...

So, I did it! I decided to enjoy the experience of US commencement's ceremony. My Bostonian family was here: Daisy & Adam. I did rent the academic dress and marched to Harvard Yard :) and Daisy and Adam took pictures under the rain ...

Finally I received my degree at the Harvard Design school. A Master in Design specializing in product design and architecture ...
I received my grades. Among the grades I received a High Pass from Dr Antoine Picon and Distinctions from Marco Steinberg. What a nice ending for such a challenging degree!

My ID, a last glance at it before starting the exciting journey of a MIT PhD at the Media Lab, in the Tangible Media group run by Prof. Hiroshi Ishii ...

In academic achievements

The Texture of Light at Siggraph 2006

My research poster The Texture of Light has been accepted at Siggraph 2006. The reviews are very encouraging and I have been recommended to suggest it to a Emergency Technology session . It will be part of the Art and Design tools category.

Abstract : The Texture of Light is research on lighting principles and the exploration of life feed video metamorphosis in the public space using reflection of light on transparent materials. The Texture of Light is an attempt to fight the boredom of everyday life. This project employs the simple use of chemistry, Plexiglas, and plastic patterns to form a reconstruction of reality, giving it a texture and expressive form. The transformation of life feed video comes from physical, plastic circles that act as different masks of reality. These masks can be moved around and swapped by the public, enabling collective expression. This metamorphosis of the public space is presented in real time as a moving painting and is projected on city walls. The public can record video clips of their 'moving painting' and project them back on different city locations.

I plan to develop it on a larger scale such as building-size panels the public could mechanically control using remote devices. Each panel will be pattern and transparent material specific. Two Plexiglas sheets could embed a water-fall, or viscous transparent material the user could distribute along his/her selected point of view. The software will allow media distribution among cities so that the outcomes of the public performances could be exposed on the panels of other cities ...

More about the project by Regine Debatty.

In tangible video in the public space

Drawing ...

This semester, I took the Advanced Drawing class in the Landscape Architecture department at the Harvard Graduate School of Design taught by Anne McGhee.

Today was the review and I presented my assignments, class exercices and my final project in front of a jury including oil painting artist Marian Dioguardi, visual historian Camila Chaves Cortes, architect Katherine G. Stifel and professors from the Design School. The general comment is that I can take anything banal and make it beautiful, expressive and attractive... What a compliment! But does it mean I don't master the technical skill to reproduce reality? Well I am still working on it...

What a surprise when, after reviewing my work, the artist Marian Dioguardi asked me to buy one of my hetching, an exercice on Piranesi.

More pictures of my drawing are coming soon ...

In drawings

Portrait of Cati II

This community of artist-researchers is amazing! After Portait of Cati by Stefan Agamanolis, my friend Orit Zuckerman made Portrait of Cati II to differenciate her art work from Stefan's. I helped her in being the same person in both installations, but in hers I pretend to be a femme fatale (which I cannot be) and myself (which is easier).

Her idea is that if the viewer is male, he would see in me the femme fatale, and if the viewer is a female, she would see the real Cati. She uses her photographic skills and by only using a web cam and a set of dramatic lights she succeeds in rendering this portrait.

Portrait of Cati II is a portrait that reacts with a different aspect of Cati's personality if the viewer is a man or a woman. She is more of a representation of a woman for men and more intimate and natural for women. When a viewer stands and looks at the portrait the system will detect if it is a man or a woman and trigger the right gesture.

In featuring in art work

John F. Kennedy grant

I have just been notified of my award in the form of a John F. Kennedy Irish grant 2005-2006 for my studies in architecture and product design at Harvard University, Graduate School of Design.

A little history on my three years of research in Ireland ...
From 2002-2004 I worked at the Media Lab Europe, the European Research Partner of the MIT Media Lab . In 2005, I joined Crite a research group from the department of computer science at Trinity College University in Ireland. I was also technology director for a robot exhibition at the Ark, a cultural center for children.

In news

Une histoire pour voir

This semester, I took the Harvard Animation class, a VES course at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, taught by Ruth Lingford.
After a series of exercices, I decided for my final animation, une histoire pour voir, to use sand as main medium. Even though I find sand much harder to animate than pencil drawing animation, I find it much easier to express with.

Screenshots from my animation



Watch the animation here (38 mb)

In animation