Hot Couture Prelim Press Roundup

We will be posting our own images and writeup soon, but for now here is an overview of what everyone thought of Hot Couture, our recent industrial collaboration with Coyote Counter Collective, Lara Grant, Rachel McConnell, Sylvia Wood, and a million other beautiful dreamers. 2013 is already on fire, literally! Check out our photos in the Chronicle article!

SFGate
VIMEO
Diablo Magazine: Editor’s Pick
Flavorpill: Editor’s Pick
Makezine blog
East Bay Express Editor’s Pick
Oakland Magazine
SF Chronicle Style Section
Oakland Local
Oakland North Mercury News
Just Luxe Living
Fecal face
Examiner.com
SAN FRANCISCO FASHION AND MERCHANTS ALLIANCE, INC
Photos from Jim Vetter

Custom Client Mike North in Tedx & LeWeb presentations in our jacket...

Check out these videos from our awesome custom client, Mike North, who does super inspiring technology stuff that is a distant cousin to our own humble Pants Interface. What's going on with Pants Interface? Glad you asked. We are making progress, slow but sure. The documentation was soft-published this winter (see it here); we are working now towards the full release. Meanwhile, enjoy!


Mike North in Medium Reality at Le Web

Mike North in Medium Reality at TEDxSendai

I am at Coyote right now getting ready for this weekend's trunk show. Yay! We worked with Niffer and her jewelry line 19 Moons long ago at Pandora's Trunk but this sunday look out for a whole new flavor: Trilodeon.

" Trilodeon's transformational tools and toys are designed to help explore your evolution and are crafted for your everyday use. Find engaging creations to propel you on your path: amazing curiosities, learning tools, mystical arts, aroma-therapy, eco-friendly apparel, home decor, and inspiration galore. We are commited to sustainaibility and all our wares are created with environmentally friendly practices and materials. "

Coyote Counter Collective
423 40th St @ Webster N. Oakland
Trilodeon Trunk Show:
12-5:30 Sunday Sept 9
Regular hours: Thu-Sun 11-6

 
The summer weeks can be counted off by the order that plants come in, and we have already eaten its first juicy blackberries. That means that it's time to kick into overdrive, and make sure to get all the good times in while the days mellow and slowly get shorter. I have been hard at work in the store, alternating construction projects with frenetic bouts of sewing. This summer is all about mutated circus band uniforms crossed with understated urban basics! Check out the upcoming schedule of events. Write them down on a scrap of paper and slip it into your shoe. Then go hop a fence and find out what's on the other side! <3 R.


Sat July 14th Playa Bound at the Crucible
11am-6pm FREE 1260 7th St OAK 
http://thecrucible.org/events/open-house/520

Sun July 15th Prepare for the Playa
12-7pm FREE Cafe Cocomo 650 Indiana St SF
http://preparefortheplaya.com

Sat July 28 DJDA throwing down
10pm $5-10 sliding scale 50 Mason Social House SF
http://www.facebook.com/events/523194014376921/

Sun Aug 5th Prepare for the Playa SF
12-7pm FREE Cafe Cocomo 650 Indiana St SF
http://preparefortheplaya.com
MR is doing a runway show - we haven't done one in YEARS so don't miss this!

Weds August 8th Merchants of Reality
 8pm FREE 285 9th St @ Folsom SF
http://merchantsofreality.com

Sat Aug 25th Vagabondage, The Sweet Trade, & 5 Cent Coffee
2-7pm CCC 423 40th OAK (live folk punk and new old timey music)
http://coyotecounter.com
This is the big'un... This show will be super amazing, jampacked with awesome music and lots of fabulous art and fashion.
* Including the work of resident artists: *
 Silkscreen & Photography - Jon Fischer
Ceramic Sculpture – Monkey & Rabbit
 Mixed Media Acrylic Collage - Rachel Lyra Hospodar
Photography - Ryan McClymont
Men's & Women's Reconstructed Garments - Medium Reality
 Leather Work & Silkscreen - Project Transaction
Jewelry - Cannibalize Jewelry, Scarlet & Madrone
Ceramic Vessels & Objects - Ank Ceramics

Also showing: Glass & Neon - Arlo Fishman. Jewelry - Dida Jewelry & Alchemilla. Men's & Women's Reconstructed Garments – Miss Velvet Cream & Ghetto Goldilocks. Metal Sculpture - Sam Derouin. Laser Etched Driftwood - Gneiss Wood. Oakland Silkscreens – Zee Bearded Lady.

Coyote Counter Collective / 423 40th St & Webster / N Oakland / 11-6 Thurs-Sun / coyotecounter.com 

* Coyote Presents *
Coyote Counter Collective indie art & design shop connects artists directly with their audience, building a sustainable collaboration and distribution network for independently produced art, design, fashion, music, and more.


* Artist Mixers *
Meet the artists! Talk to people whose work you like and share ideas. Get tips from them on how to do it yourself, or a chance to tell them how amazing they are. Find collaborators. Shop our reconstructed boutique and pick up locally produced designs and artwork!

* Live Musical Performances * Demos * Meet n Greet *
Upcoming Summer Funtimes:
Sat July 7th Crafternoons & Lilypad Collective Showcase (w live music) 423 40th St OAK
Sun July 8th Merchants of Reality 1 year anniversary 8pm 285 9th St @ Folsom SF

Thurs July 12th Lucille Ghatti Vol 44 Album Release (w/ live music) 423 40th St OAK
Sat July 14th Playa Bound at the Crucible OAK
Sun July 15th Prepare for the Playa (w/ reconstruction workshop) at Cafe Cocomo SF

Sat July 28 DJDA throwing down at 50 Mason Social House SF

Sat Aug 4th Crafternoons 423 40th St OAK
Sun Aug 5th Prepare for the Playa (w/ runway show!) at Cafe Cocomo SF

Weds August 8th Merchants of Reality 8pm 285 9th St @ Folsom SF

Sat Aug 25th Vagabondage & The Sweet Trade (live folk punk and new old timey music) 423 40th St OAK

More info below....

Saturday July 7th
Crafternoon!
Afternoon open house where people can come and get a sewing crash course, work in our studio, or get help with tricky problems!
1-5pm

Music performance, art, and design sampler from The Lilypad
5-9pm
Featuring live musical performances from members of Young Coconut, Duckwrth (School of the Hellas),
Freestyle rhyming plus singer/songwriters in rotation with DJ Pantydrop
Also featuring: Skuba, Josh Parria, Bootsy Akbar, Philly
Guest performance from Lucille Ghatti
(art, jewelry, live music, djs, t shirts, cds for sale,...)

Thursday July 12th 6-9pm
Lucille Ghatti Vol 44 release party
Including Artist Meet n Greet & Lucille Ghatti live vocal performance & freestyle rhyme party

Saturday August 4th
Crafternoon!
Afternoon open house where people can come and get a sewing crash course, work in our studio, or get help with tricky problems!
1-5pm

August 25th time TBA
Vagabondage & The Sweet Trade - folk punk and new old-timey music
& Coyote Counter Collective Art Opening

* All shows including the work of resident artists: *
Silkscreen & Photography - Jon Fischer
Ceramic Sculpture – Monkey & Rabbit
Mixed Media Acrylic Collage - Rachel Lyra Hospodar
Photography - Ryan McClymont
Men's & Women's Reconstructed Garments - Medium Reality
Leather Work & Silkscreen - Project Transaction
Jewelry - Cannibalize Jewelry, Scarlet & Madrone
Ceramic Vessels & Objects - Ank Ceramics

Also showing:
Glass & Neon - Arlo Fishman. Jewelry - Dida Jewelry & Alchemilla. Men's & Women's Reconstructed Garments – Miss Velvet Cream & Ghetto Goldilocks. Metal Sculpture - Sam Derouin. Laser Etched Driftwood - Gneiss Wood. Oakland Silkscreens – Zee Bearded Lady.

Coyote Counter Collective / 423 40th St & Webster / N Oakland / 11-6 Thurs-Sun / coyotecounter.com

June 1st, June 9th, and beyond! CCC wants YOU!

Heya All! I can't believe that June is here. Let me know if you see where the spring went to, I just had it around here someplace. I lost it, I think, in between starting to make a million beautiful jackets for festival season, and desperately irrigating the gardens against Oakland's fierce sun. This week I woke up at 5am to see sailor friends off on their trip south, the boat packed to the gills with bikes, surfboards, everything they could possibly need. I gave them two bean plants and two fertilized duck eggs. Hooray summer! I hope you can stop by the studio sometime and see what we've been up to, it's a lot. Buy some stuff! Trades and special deals for mailing list subscribers are on the table too, so dream big! We will be keeping regular store hours noon-six, Thursday through Sunday, but also keep an eye on your calendar for these extra special events coming up.

1. First Friday Bike Party - June 1st
2. CCC Grand & Proper Art Opening - June 9th
3. First Saturday CRAFTERNOONS! - July 7th, August 4th

Awesome! Keep your ear to the ground and your eyes to the sky. And come by our storefront, we have been workin hard to make it super amazing for you! The whole Temescal/Telegraph neighborhood is ready to welcome you into Oakland's dirty little secret - sunshine and lazy days, we got 'em!
<3
R.

coyotecounter.com

1. First Friday Bike Party - June 1st
Happy Hour + DJ Cargobike + Raffle + Group Ride
Friday June 1st 5-7 PM
Manifesto Bicycles - right next door to Coyote Counter Collective!
421-423 40th St, Oakland / Macarthur
Beer flows at 5pm, raffle at 6pm, group ride to art murmur at 7pm

2. CCC Grand Art Opening - June 9th
Coyote Counter Collective is at the heart of Oakland's independent style, where the next generation of art & design is spreading its wings. The cooperative retail group opened its doors December 1st and after getting to know their new neighborhood they are ready for the limelight with a long-awaited Grand & Proper Art Opening! June 9th will showcase visual art and photography from Jon Fischer, and Ryan McClymont, and Rachel Lyra Hospodar, with new jewelry designs from Dida Jewelry, Scarlet and Madrone, Cannibalize Jewelry, Alchemilla, and others, featuring Medium Reality and Ghetto Goldilocks garments and Project Transaction leather. Glass art by Arlo Fishman. Featuring a miniature dance party with DJ Dangerous Alien and a dress-up sidewalk photo shoot with the Lilypad Collective. Refreshments will be served.

Coyote Counter Collective Grand Opening & Miniature dance party
5-9pm Saturday June 9th
423 40th St @ Webster
coyotecounter.com

This is the real cutting edge of the next generation of design! Composed entirely of independent artists, this group rocks a truly sustainable as hell style by offering one-of-a-kind customization and repair services for clothes and jewelry while making their work right before your eyes in the attached studio. Through demonstrations, classes, and workshops, these artists educate about the killer techniques they use to customize vintage garments into a reconstructed style all your own. Coyote Counter Collective is a one-stop shop for everything you need to rock the next generation of DIY style!

Coyote Counter Collective
423 40th St, North Telegraph Oakland Macarthur BART
every Thurs-Sun 12-6pm
info @ coyotecounter.com

3. First Saturday CRAFTERNOONS! - July 7th, August 4th
Save the date!

Coyote Counter Collective is Oakland's newest DIY hotspot. This group of local artists is giving back to the community with a series of events focusing on skill sharing and communal crafting. Close on the heels of Oakland's over-the-top cool First Fridays, Coyote presents a laid back Saturday afternoon of sharing in craft techniques, tips, scrap materials (and the best sourcing tips!) as well as hands-on intros to basic sewing tools. Think of it as a salon for all your DIY sewing questions.
First Saturday - CRAFTERNOONS! - 12-6pm
Communal Crafting at Coyote Counter Collective
7 July, 4 August
coyotecounter.com

Introducing Coyote Counter Collective

Medium Reality has been suspiciously quiet for the last few months. I have been getting surreptitious inquiries from concerned friends, clients who crave attention, and art lovers who are demanding I keep up the supply of laser etched landscapes.

What the heck have we been up to? Where have we been?! Well, a lot has been going on. The revolution, hallelujah, has come, and it's here to stay. Even stranger, though, we have moved our studio. Medium Reality has been based in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood for most of a decade. The rising cost of real estate in that neighborhood is finally sweeping through lots of little side streets that time had forgotten, though, and things are changing. We are excited to change our focus to Oakland, where a more wide-open (but still bike-friendly!) city leaves more elbow room for oddball arts projects.

Medium Reality, in collaboration with Project Transaction, Ghetto Goldilocks, and Gneiss Wood, presents:

Coyote Counter Collective
a new (re)construction experience in Oakland

423 40th St, Oakland
(leave Macarthur BART, turn right, cross Telegraph and look out for us on the right at Webster)
Open Now By Appointment

Grand Opening December 1st

We are slowly assembling an altered storefront experience, by hand, from scrips and scraps. We've already painted, hung curtains, installed glass cases, tiny puppet doors, trunks and suitcases everywhere, and cut scalloped edges into everything. There is a sewing studio in back where we are still desperately putting up storage shelves, and throughout the space we are working on small facilities projects one piece at a time.

So we're building a store? Well, yes, but. But. One of the things I am most excited about for this new space is something we are trying out - a menu of (re)construction services. Drawings, swatches, samples, and photos will bring customers in to the style re-design process, while the streamlined menu will allow these services to be offered a la carte to all members of our community, for affordable prices. Services will range from complete reconstructions (and my unique brand of elaborate layered embroidery/applique), to simpler alterations like silkscreened images or added pockets, which can be offered at very reasonable prices. We are working towards offering laser etching services as well.

It is my hope that this space will become a hub for different reconstruction communities, and I am excited to see how the cooperative part of things comes together. In assembling the business model for our collective we have drawn heavily on my experiences at City Art and Noisebridge, as well as all of our time together at Pandora's former location on Haight St. It is great to be working with these artists again.

Pants Interface - Open Hardware Summit & Maker Faire NY 2011

At the end of September, in a flurry of solder, wire bits, and threads, we finished a prototype Pants Interface controller. I threw it, still smoking, into a suitcase and flew off to New York to show it off - and ask for help. Here's what happened.



Open Hardware Summit http://www.openhardwaresummit.org/ is in its second year, and is an amazing hotbed of conversation about this growing field. Topics popping up over and over for me centered around how to share ideas, especially legal licensing and functional software tools for filesharing. It was great also to run into Autumn Wiggins, longtime collaborator from the indie craft world, there to talk about Upcycle Exchange and reminding me once again of the interesting and growing intersections between craft-making and electronics development. Mitch Altman of TV-B-Gone fame, a Noisebridge pal of mine, gave a really inspiring talk, as did Bunnie Huang from Chumby. According to Bunnie, hardware development cycles actually favor small businesses!

Developing licenses that let people share their ideas is clearly important to a lot of people, and a lot of interesting options are developing. It gets pretty esoteric but is still really interesting stuff. CERN is developing an open hardware license http://www.ohwr.org/projects/cernohl/wiki . OHANDA has an open trademark solution http://www.ohanda.org/ .

The founder of Sparkfun gave a practical talk on how they open up their documents, to what extent, and the basic functionality concerns that raises for an operating business. I went to the breakout session 'Documentation, Distribution, and Community Building for Open Hardware'. Joseph Prusa from RepRap http://reprap.org/wiki/Main_Page was there along with others, talking about how the crazy varieties of files that project uses are all managed. That project, an open source 3d prototyping printer, is an amazing international effort. Also in that session were reps from DIYLILCNC and Upverter. It was really great to hear different perspectives on document & version management, and to get some tantalizing glimpses of how the approach chosen here will affect the user communities.

I met Glyph, the founder of Twisted http://twistedmatrix.com/trac/ a few years ago, and got to pick his brain on how they built a vibrant community around that open-source project. Glyph said that the project has to give users something that works before they will get excited about it. It's interesting to note the differences between what this means for a hardware vs a software project. The prototype milestones we reached in time for this conference put the Pants Interface tantalizingly close to a point where we can publish, and start this dialogue with an actual user base.

Maker Faire New York was the same weekend as OHWS, and it was really fun to check out such a wide-open field of makers at the faire, after the intense focus at the summit. I presented the prototype at both events and got lots of interested questions and feedback. My Maker Faire presentation seemed to inspire a lot of people to consider getting involved with wearables, which was super exciting for me. I also got a couple of really great tips on solving specific problems, and more detail on how certain aspects of the project work. It is great to find such an engaged group of people that are interested to see our project, and give feedback on it.

Special highlight for me was meeting up with Clothbot http://clothbot.com/wiki/Main_Page one of our Kickstarter supporters - and getting awesome experimental 3d-printed fabric circuitboard connectors to try out. You can see them, and lots of other goodies, in this photo of my swag from the weekend. Lots of notes on everything if you click through!

Pants Interface - last call!!

There are just over 48 hours left in our kickstarter fundraising drive for the Pants Interface. Read on below for more information on the project, or check out the videos and other materials online!

http://kck.st/iyusM4

Here is a little breakdown of how the fundraising drive works - people can pledge money, a lot or a little, towards the Pants Interface project. Different funding levels come with different fabulous prizes, starting with the launch party for this crazy control device, including experimental supplies for people who want to make their own soft circuits, including art prints of the schematics and your very own pants controller if you want one bad enough! BUT if we don't reach the target amount, nobody gets charged and the project doesn't get funded! We are very very VERY close, and only need $212 to get to the minimum. Don't you want to help make sure this science project gets off the ground?

Now that you are all jazzed up about it, before you head over to pledge a little cash, just fix that excitement in your mind - and if you go over there and see that we met our goal, oh please put the money in anyway! Every bit we raise over the bare minimum raises the stakes and saves a little stress.

http://kck.st/iyusM4

And oh, endless gratitude to all who have supported this project already! I am humbled by the amount of belief others have had in my dream.

<3


Pants Interface is a family of wearable technology projects that are completely open-source and aim to make it easy to install wireless interface devices into any garment or costume. This project is the brainchild of artist and designer Rachel Lyra Hospodar.

Right now Pants Interface is focused on something very simple - making fabric buttons. These soft circuit momentary switches use arduinos and wireless radios to allow anyone wearing the device to trigger, well...anything a piece of electronics can do. The device can speak USB to a computer and control computer software as well as speaking MIDI to sound, video, and lighting equipment. A performer could trigger projection cues, lighting cues, sound effects, audio loops, anything at all. A home user could advance songs on computer playback, control volume, or play games without being tied to a desk chair.

Next will come a full computer keyboard and mouse embedded in a pair of pants - so that users can get up from office chairs and work from more ergonomic (and varied) positions. It will also represent an interesting direction in the conception of computer interface devices - by attaching the devices to the users themselves, Pants Interface can change the way we relate to and use technology objects.

Some links to find out more about the project:

Our kickstarter fundraising drive - ends in 48 hours!
http://kck.st/iyusM4

A four-minute video about the kickstarter project
http://www.vimeo.com/24525501

The project website, listing more info about the project collaborators, the mouse touchpad project, and the philosophy behind it all.
http://mediumreality.com/pantsinterface.html

Pants Interface!

Pants Interface is a family of wearable technology projects that are completely open-source and aim to make it easy to install wireless interface devices into any garment or costume. This project is the brainchild of artist and designer Rachel Lyra Hospodar.

Right now Pants Interface is focused on something very simple - making fabric buttons. These soft circuit momentary switches use arduinos and wireless radios to allow anyone wearing the device to trigger, well...anything a piece of electronics can do. The device can speak USB to a computer and control computer software as well as speaking MIDI to sound, video, and lighting equipment. A performer could trigger projection cues, lighting cues, sound effects, audio loops, anything at all. A home user could advance songs on computer playback, control volume, or play games without being tied to a desk chair.

Next will come a full computer keyboard and mouse embedded in a pair of pants - so that users can get up from office chairs and work from more ergonomic (and varied) positions. It will also represent an interesting direction in the conception of computer interface devices - by attaching the devices to the users themselves, Pants Interface can change the way we relate to and use technology objects.

Some links to find out more about the project:

Our kickstarter fundraising drive - ends in 1 week!
http://kck.st/iyusM4

A four-minute video about the kickstarter project
http://www.vimeo.com/24525501

The project website, listing more info about the project collaborators, the mouse touchpad project, and the philosophy behind it all.
http://mediumreality.com/pantsinterface.html

Two openings, one on each side!

April? Are you kidding me? I'd say I don't know how it snuck up on me so fast, but I do know: I have been hiding out in the studio, working furiously and trying to slow the passage of time. Coming up are two very different openings: one in San Francisco, showcasing my mixed media acrylic collage paintings, and one at the St Vincent de Paul donations warehouse in Oakland. Conveyor belts... baling machines... reclaimed textile art. No Problem. Both feature works made using laser etching and cutting. Read on for details!

1. Relics of Memory
Art opening: mixed media acrylic collage

Thursday april 7th 8pm-???
Cafe Royale: 800 Post St
@ Leavenworth, San Francisco
refreshments 8pm
Sweet Trade music 9pm
wine, beer, and pool till they kick us out!
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=156352244423883

2. St Vincent de Paul Fashion Artist-in-Residence Showings
Art opening: Garments, Accessories, and Photographs

Saturday April 9th 6-9pm
SVdP Urban Eco-Park Warehouse
9235 San Leandro Street
Oakland, CA
live music from Casio Beat Scene
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=121249354618677

Boat Hulls, Haute Frills, and Faux Bills

Fashion designs (and until recently, boat hull designs) are not protectable under copyright law, or really any law at all. Companies who make piles of millions from selling mass-produced consumer goods (which can get kind of indistinguishable anyway, let's be honest) are reduced to protecting their trademark, which is the reason behind all those purses covered in logos. Infringe this, bee-atch!

I have always enjoyed this freedom, not to copy or to be copied, but to just not worry about it. The only thing you can protect is the structure you have built. Ideas must be flown from it like paper flags, to be torn to pieces by the wind and replaced anew. Here are some reading materials so you can decide for yourself. Make no mistake, this ties in very closely with the protection and fair use issues that have shackled modern musicians & media artists even as they try to break away from traditional major label distribution and promotional structures.

Free your art, the rest will follow.

opencongress.org bill info

washington post writeup
"Too often, copyrights are used to protect profit. It's no coincidence that the rise of the Internet -- which led to an explosion of low-cost distribution networks, new forms of competition and unexpected types of innovation -- has also led to calls for new and stronger forms of intellectual protection."
"Consumers have been told this is all for them. But it isn't. There's a reason we're skeptical of monopolies, and we shouldn't forget that even when they're dressed up as "copyrights." "

fibre2fashion industry writeup
"...this legislation will for the first time allow creative American designers to benefit from legal protections and at the same time continue to ensure the competitiveness of the U.S. apparel and footwear industry as it delivers fashionable and affordable clothing to consumers."
"As we move forward, AAFA (American Apparel & Footwear Association, supporters of the bill) will continue to seek the strongest trademark and copyright protections for the U.S. apparel and footwear industry competing in the global market for the benefit of their brand reputations, employees, and consumers."

Who do you believe? who is talking about artists and individuals, and who is talking about global market share?

Tiny laser collage painting

Tiny laser collage painting
Originally uploaded by rachelyra

Tiny laser collage painting

Touchpad Pants at Maker Faire NYC

I am onsite right now at the NY Hall of Science. I was here yesterday for the Open Hardware Summit which lit my brain on fire... but it was a calm and quiet lull before the storm compared to what is happening now. There is the sound of power tools and a smell in the air of cut lumber, machine oil, and spraypaint. Tons of familiar faces from Maker Faires past. I already ran into two guys from Techshop, and am sitting a few feet from the Life-Size Mousetrap. My friends are frantically bolting together a giant mobile squid and I am left wondering how much RF interference there will be tomorrow, and how much it would take to sink the project. I had to repair the video connector with pliers but the LCD screen they have on the stage where we will be presenting works with my machine and is bigger than I am.



It has been crazy getting ready for this, and there is some functionality that we had to give up on, but I am overall feeling very calm and pretty much ready. It has been a crazy journey of about two months since I conceived and began working on this project and despite the protesting murmurs of my inner perfectionist I am really pleased with how far it came and what we were able to accomplish. I wanted to take a few moments and shout out to everyone who helped me with it because it sure took a village! Without people promising support it is a lot more intimidating to start something so far outside of what I normally do.



Touchpad Pants

"by" Rachel Lyra Hospodar / Medium Reality



in collaboration with:



Jon Ferran - concept and circuit design

Jason Asbahr / Monstrous Games - concept, application, and software

Christine Hodges - software

Michael Shiloh - Arduino instruction

R. Miloh Alexander - electronics assembly and Zigbee troubleshooting

Mitch Thompson - Zigbee expertise

D. P. Chang - lending expensive hardware

Rich Humphrey - general hackery and awesomeness

Tara Ocon & Liz Carena - wearing the silly thing while I talk about it!

Noisebridge - source of amazing and supportive people and environment. and soldering tools. and distractions.



Of course I also owe amazing thanks to Sherry Huss, Dale Dougherty, and O'Reilly in general, for providing an awesome venue for crazy projects and believing that I would pull it off.




Now who wants to help me make a pants keyboard?

see what people wear

Whenever I feel stuck I like to see what people are doing Out There in the World. Sometimes the studio feels like too much of a vacuum. A friend just turned me on to this style blog:

http://jakandjil.com/blog/

which inspires me to share my favorites as well.

http://facehunter.blogspot.com/ all over the place, london-centric

http://www.hel-looks.com/ helsinki

http://stilinberlin.blogspot.com/

http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/ all over the place, new york centric

http://nymag.com/nymag/strategist/look/archive/ i don't want to like it but i always do.

Touch Me!

Well, it's official. I am a genius. No, that's not quite it. I had a lot of help. I am a genius at asking questions, way past any point of propriety, until I really do understand. With tons of help from my friends (extra thanks due to Jason Asbahr, Jon Ferran, and Michael Shiloh), I have made a working soft circuit prototype that is an XY positional sensor. Meaning? I made a wearable computer touchpad out of fabric.



I will update this page with video links and more information as I get all that media together. Yeah baby!

(first update: here are photos of the mostly-assembled prototype. I am hoping to film a video walk-through before I sew it together.)

(second update: here is the video walk-through! check out the photoset linked above for photos from our trip to new york as well.)

I am hoping to show this project at Maker Faire New York on Sept 25-26. I was afraid to submit my proposal until the project actually worked, and while it is far from done it officially works. Now it's time to get out of the workshop and back to the desk and start telling people about it.

You heard it here first, kids.

Web Store & Summer Events

Hi all! I hope everyone is enjoying the sun/fog/summer to its utmost. Medium Reality is still rockin it sustainable style. We have a bunch of SF events coming up, *and* want to announce the soft launch of our little web store.

1. website stuff - store, new pages
2. Prepare for the Playa
3. Beyond the Fence
4. Chic Fashion Week

1. website stuff
You can check out our new mini web store at http://mediumreality.com/shop/shopindex.html. We built it ourselves, super ninja DIY style, and are still evolving it so check back for updates, new photos, and more items. Any feedback you have about the site itself, the store, the things in it, or the way we look in these pants, feel free to send it on! LOVE hearing from you guys. Artists, performers, foodies, health workers: we support you! Please contact us for discounts and trade options. Customers, got a garment that needs some love? Some repairs are free! We want you to keep loving us.

Also just a rundown of some things we changed lately, for those playing along at home:

-updated our main clothing page, with more photos, new text, better code. We know that deep down inside you care about our HTML just like you care about shirts.
http://mediumreality.com/clothing.html

-have you checked this out? we published a rundown of all the ways we are sustainable as hell. We strive for transparent operations.
http://mediumreality.com/aboutproduction.html

2. Prepare for the Playa
Sunday July 25th & Sunday August 15th

Double Trouble! This huge show holds a dear place in my heart because, years ago, it was at this show that we produced our very first very own runway segment. Oh, how far we have come! It is so nice to return to the super nurturing environment of "everyone can do it!". In that spirit, we are putting out a call for models. This event happens twice, July 25 and August 15, but we are only doing the runway in AUGUST. If you want to model for Medium Reality in the August show, email me. We mostly need men but could handle a lady or three. No, you don't have to look like Vogue magazine. We think you are sexy just the way you are. Yes, you, bankers, computer programmers, punk rock cyclists. Bring it on. Clothes credits for modeling!

Prepare for the Playa

Sunday July 25th & Sunday August 15th
Time: 12pm-7pm
****FREE ENTRY****
http://www.preparefortheplaya.com/

@ Cafe Cocomo
650 Indiana Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
**
*Funky Playa Inspired Fashion shows* at 2pm & 5pm Showing all the latest and greatest Burner Couture for Burning Man 2010!
Burner Marketplace * Fashion Shows * Playa University * ARTist Benefit!
*Playa University How to Clinics* and Demonstrations on not just surviving on the playa... but THRIVING ON THE PLAYA!!
http://www.preparefortheplaya.com Playa wear strongly encouraged!

3. Beyond the Fence

Also a sale oriented towards prepping for burning man (or any other fabulous costume event. I think they have one or two of those around here at other times of the year...;) this one is different, they are both free, so check em all out or pick a date to find us that works best for you. We promise to bring everything that is too weird for retail. Tons of new hand-dyed shirts too!

Beyond the Fence
August 21st, Saturday
2:00 - 8:00 pm
Mighty - 119 Utah, SF
FREE Admission

4. Chic Fashion Week

http://chicfashionweeksf.com/
August 1-8, San Francisco

we are not sure where we will be in the schedule for this week yet but we are super looking forward to a week of full-force downtown style fashion events featuring Medium Reality (and a bunch of other talented designers...) to help fight AIDS.


As always I hope you are doing well, recycling your ass off, and having fun doing it.

R.
http://mediumreality.com
sustainable as hell menswear

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Pandora's Trunk & Medium Reality
http://pandorastrunk.com
http://mediumreality.com

Thanks for listening! if this was forwarded to you, maybe you want to subscribe. send an email to mr-subscribe@pandorastrunk.com



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Studio Event: Garment Rehab & Sample Sale

Medium Reality & Miss Velvet Cream Sample Sale and Garment Rehab

Sample Sale: including amazing deals on last season's goods as well as first dibs on this summer's hottest new men's jackets, vests, and shirts from Medium Reality, also featuring special guest Miss Velvet Cream for maximum deliciousness for ladies and gentlemen (and everybody in between).

Garment Rehab: BRING YOUR favorite boring old GARMENT and commission some custom alterations, surface design, dyeing, rehabilitation of all sorts available a la carte commission style.

Entertainment:
Pandora's Trunk in video projections,
live music by house band The Sweet Trade,
French press coffee by Farm:Table,
food and drink.

free admission
916 Natoma St @ 10th, SoMa SF
June 22nd, 6-9pm
http://mediumreality.com/
http://missvelvetcream.blogspot.com/

photo by del geronimo

School's out forever!

Stone fruit is starting to come in with a vengeance, and even in the perpetual summer of California there is nothing that lets you know what season it is like fresh cherries and peaches. Mmmm! Time to put on your best convertible shirt, roll up the sleeves in the afternoon sun and then button the cuffs when the fog rolls in, lounge on a hillside in a cool clean wind, eat something that will stain your lips red. While you are at it I want you to think about art and technology, how to implement them in your life, and what their implications are. Then come and talk to me about it.

#1. It's All True Art / Orson's / June 10
#2. Thread|Bare / The LAB / June 11 (&12-13)
#3. Wonderland art opening / June 12
#4. Forever Never Comes at Boxcar Theater / open NOW through June 26
#5. Oil spill coverage (no, you can't stop thinking about this yet)
#6. Satan's Angel / burlesque class / Monday June 21
#7. Medium Reality studio sample sale / Tuesday June 22
#8. The Dynamite Show! / Fou Fou Ha / Brava Theater / June 17-26
#9. Emrg N See / Oregon / July 16-18

whew! Is that enough stuff for ya? I know I am sleepy. Maybe it has to do with laying in a sailboat in the sun while I write this, but I'd like to think it's because of how hard I work. I'd like you to think that too, ok?

see you later, my lovelies. Be careful out there.

R.
Medium Reality: sustainable as hell
http://mediumreality.com

#1. It's All True Art / Orson's / June 10

7:00pm - 10:00pm
Orson Restaurant + Lounge: 508 4th St, SF, CA 94107

Mister WA presents "It's All True Art" Happy Hour at ORSON's

Our Featured JUNE Artist Rachel Lyra Hospodar
Designer and Founder of 'MEDIUM REALITY' Producer of 'PANDORA'S TRUNK' (Fashion In Performance)
Live sewing, live and remix video projection madness

Every second Thursday of the month, 'It's All True Art' invites YOU to meet the artist and participate in the live creative process while sipping perfect cocktails. Your host Mister WA is proud to bring to ORSON the creme of his transdisciplinary Arts peregrinations and celebrate Life and Art as ONE. An homage to Mr WELLES, the live wall cinematically magnifies a rich sensory encounter unique to beautiful San Francisco.
Great Place for a Drink, an Appetizer or Dinner. Admission is Free. http://orsonsf.com/

#2. Thread|Bare / The LAB / June 11 (&12-13)

Runway show and live auction:
Friday, June 11, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.
$10 – $20 sliding scale admission
2 tickets free to the first emailer!

Trunk show:
Saturday and Sunday, June 12 – 13, 12 – 6pm
Free admission

Your emcees: Michelle Tea and Danyol Leon
DJ: Warm Leatherette
Performance by: SF Boylesque
thread | bare is a celebration of Bay Area independent fashion spirit. Local designers innovating in form, material, and interpretation create one-of-a-kind works and are brought together with performers to showcase their fabrications. The clothes are auctioned right off the models as they walk the runway, while scores of outfits and accessories are available in the concurrent trunk show.
http://www.thelab.org/
2948 16th Street

#3. Wonderland art opening / June 12

Have you checked out this new independent design boutique in the Mission yet? It is a refreshing blend of fresh local urban designers with a Mexican flavor.

Romanowski with Peasants and Travelers presents
Artists without Boundaries for Doctors without Borders
Art showcase charity auction
Sunday June 12 6-11pm
Wonderland Gallery 2929 24th st, SF
http://peasantsandtravelers.com
http://wonderlandsf.com

featured and resident artists including
Ferris Plock
Paul Hayes
Mars-1
Medium Reality
...and many more

#4. Forever Never Comes at Boxcar Theater / open NOW through June 26

Super excited to have done the costume design for this Neko Case-inspired story. Heading out to the opening tonight!
Wracked by guilt over her brother’s death, Sandra makes a deal with the Fox Confessor, a mysterious and mythical figure who watches over the small, rural town of South Boston, VA. When the Fox Confessor demands payment, secrets are revealed and family sins are not easily washed away. Not even the hope of sweet new love with Dylan, a young trans man, can keep Sandra’s nightmares at bay.
http://www.crowdedfire.org/FNC.html
Boxcar Theater
505 Natoma St
(yes, you can lock your bike to that black metal gate.)

#5. Oil spill coverage (no, you can't stop thinking about this yet)

I'm afraid we're going to stop paying attention to this as if it has gone away... it hasn't! Gobs of oil are washing up near Pensacola, the feds are closing down all the fisheries. Think about a little harm reduction, and come up with a way to reduce your petroleum usage a little bit. A little bit more. I'll go along!

"Is rounding up undocumented workers and potheads more important than cleaning up the #BP #oilspill? Apparently.http://mojo.ly/8YrA2q"
http://twitter.com/MacMcClelland

Yes you can watch streaming video of the seafloor 5000 feet down. For some reason there are no little fishes anywhere in sight.
http://globalwarming.house.gov/spillcam
http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/homepage/STAGING/local_assets/bp_homepage/html/rov_stream.html

#6. Satan's Angel / burlesque classes / Monday June 21

These classes are with Satan's Angel, a visiting luminary of the burlesque world.
Two Burlesque Classes. $25.00/each (discount for both classes).
Please contact Stephanie@LadyMonster.com to reserve your space.
916 Natoma @ 10th Street. SF

Bump and Glide: 5:00 – 7:00pm. Movement with Costuming, Props and Advanced Techniques.
Spinners and Tassels DIY: 7:00 – 9:00pm. Learn how to make pasties and fringe tassels with spinners.
http://www.satansangel.com/TOUR.html

#7. Medium Reality studio sample sale / Tuesday June 22

There are no details on this bad boy yet because I just decided to do it, today! It's been a while since I opened the studio doors to the public and I want to bring in all my favorite people (that's you!) and give you first crack at summer stock, and last crack at some old things that I have marked down to move. Snacks and wine, naturally. Music? Most likely. Video? If we're lucky. Circus? If we're really really lucky.

Mark your calendars and gird your loins
Tuesday June 22, after work oclock
916 Natoma St at 10th
http://mediumreality.com

#8. The Dynamite Show! / Fou Fou Ha / Brava Theater / June 17-26

Sporting a clown-based mashup of costumes including a heavy Medium Reality flavor. Making you laugh till you pee yourself. You know you love Fou Fou Ha. Don't miss this show.
THE DYNAMITE SHOW!!!
~A song and dance extravaganza~
Phenomenal performance by Fou Fou Ha!
Accompanied by the live music of
The Gomorrans Social Aide and Pleasure Club
June 17th - 20th and June 24th - 26th
Brava Theater
http://foufouha.com/

#9. Emrg N See / Oregon / July 16-18

It's outside Eugene, and while I have never been to there, this laid-back party full of really diverse music and people who are there to have a good time (and love buying my clothes) makes me want to check out the town as well. I'm still working on travel logistics and have an extra ticket.. so anyone who has been craving a little road trip, drop me a line!
http://2010.emrgnsee.com/

Anti/Surveillance Fashion at Maker Faire!

5.17.2010 16:32
Getting ready for the Anti/Surveillance Fashion Show (rehearsal)

This show is going to present the work of scores of different people from all over the place. We have scoured the internet for examples of fashionable inventions meant to thwart – or aid – in surveillance. Everyone we have contacted is super excited about the idea, and we have been getting the most exciting things in the mail! Today we got a pair of mirrored underwear, designed to protect against upskirt photography. I haven't seen them yet, but to judge from the emails coming out of headquarters they are very effective. Hopefully I can take a photo at our rehearsal this evening, but the technology may thwart me. The TV suit is coming tonight, along with platform shoes designed to keep streetwalkers safe. ----Bzzzt! Both of those items are designed to increase -bzzzzt----- surveillance.


5.17.2010 19:01


eric boyd's northpaw belt

TV suit prep

shoe phone open

shoe phone closed

Watching prototypes come together for a presentation is so exciting! Problem solving on the fly, fixing those last little things, and figuring out why the systems that worked perfectly in the workshop DON'T anymore... last year for Pandora's Trunk storytime runway show, we had to sew a microphone into a dress five minutes before the show started, because the audio pickups weren't loud enough on their own over the crowd noise. The TV suit is definitely my favorite from the Anti/Surveillance show, it's kind of an unexpected way to execute the idea but sure to please the crowd, it was good for many smiles in the rehearsal! We spent some sewing time securing all the wires to the garment. I love it when needle and thread meet electrons. Trying the TV jacket onto smartypants model Meredith while she tries to show us how she pulled off an entirely unrelated electronics project, why yes we would like to include that as well. So many WIRES a-flyin! Looking for an extra RCA adaptor or 6. Female to Female?? The TV signal is shielded black and white so you can get away with murder.

Putting together a fashion show is an exercise in imagination. Without all the bodies in a room it's just a few little boxes with wires poking over the top. At NoiseBridge, even with everyone in the room, it just looks like a group of geeks sitting around. It takes an act of supreme imagination to co-ordinate all these little bits together into a presentation set to wow the socks off a crowd who has had their eyeballs stuffed with science and mayhem all weekend. A lot of these projects aren't exactly garments, either – lots of accessories, additions to your own wardrobe. Belts that can help you think or move, shoes that you can use covertly to communicate, or to send an alarm. Constantly under the lens of the camera, fashion is a natural form in which to explore the relationship between surveillance and culture. How are we watched? How do we watch? How do we present ourselves to the eyes of the world?