What Is Wearable Art? Wearable art, also known as artwear or art-to-wear, refers to designed pieces of handmade clothing, jewellery or headwear created as individual pieces of fine art, typically expressive in nature. Like all art forms, the technical skills required to make a piece of clothing or wearable art is of great importance, however wearable art pieces are intended to be considered as serious and unique artistic creations which sometimes reflect a significant statement. Wearable art is generally made of a combination of fibrous materials and therefore, artists require skills such as knitting, sewing or crocheting to build their forms. Artists may explore both wearable and non-wearable art forms such as sculpture using both fibrous and non-fibrous materials like plastic, metal and leather. Like many art forms, cross disciplinary components are prevalent and important to the wearable art genre. Artists may explore technologies such as computer programming/software and chemistry to create aesthetic effects and more traditional costume making techniques such as corsetry and millinery.
Image: Lai Kit Ling In the Op HONG KONG DESIGN INSTITUTE MATERIALS: CURTAIN, BONING, LEATHER, TASSELS
Wearable art employs diverse techniques such as knitting, leather tooling, weaving, dyeing, and sewing. Garments may be created and embellished using hand painted or printed fabrics, and 3D sculpture techniques such as welding to form metal shapes. The beauty of wearable art lies in the endless possibilities it provides for artists to exceed expectations and the limitations of traditional art forms - to imagine works of indulgence and fantasy. Sharing a complex relationship with the art world, the fashion world, and the world of craft, wearable art is separated from mainstream fashion, yet closely related to it. Unlike fashion, wearable art foregrounds aesthetics over practicality. Image: Peter Wakeman Chica Under Glass NEW ZEALAND MATERIALS: 96% FIBREGLASS, 4% PLYWOOD
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