Thursday Salute to Originals: Fashion Worth Staring At

Even though its summer, it’s been pretty gloomy at our Westlake office lately. All the clouds, rain, and lack of sun are making us a little drowsy; and we’ll admit, we’ve even caught ourselves staring from time to time.

Normally, staring doesn’t accomplish much; fixating your gaze on an object isn’t usually the most effective means of getting things done. (And it certainly isn’t the most proactive pastime when things are as busy as they are around here!) So we were quite intrigued when we stumbled upon a dress that is “activated” just by your stare. Staring can actually accomplish something? We could barely believe our eyes!

Image credit: Ying Gao

Made of super organza and photoluminescent thread, Ying Gao’s (No)Where (Now)Here dresses track eye movement and brighten and pulsate with contact from your peepers. Simply staring at the dress activates the textile, making threads dance and illuminate in a dream-like (and kind of creepy) chorus of movement and light. Never has your gaze been so powerful! (Imagine if staring at piles of shop drawings worked the same way…)

Watch the clip below and see for yourself as these gowns come to life with just with a simple stare.

(no)where(now)here : 2 gaze-activated dresses by ying gao on Vimeo.

How could this concept translate further into the world of architecture and interior design? We think the possibilities for surface design could be endless!