Artifacts from a Parallel Universe: Tentative Architecture of Other Earth_Coastline Inhabitants

Artifacts from a Parallel Universe is an electronically enhanced garment designed to help the wearer adapt to temperature changes in the natural environment. It was designed for a fictional world called Other Earth, where viewers are asked to consider a place where humans live as nomads in technologically advanced, self-sufficient, and low-environmental-impact nodal groups. As conceived by Eskandar, Tentative Architecture is an immaterial architecture that can happen at any time and any place, responding to the immediate needs and environment of its wearer—ideally suited to life on Other Earth. This on-demand architecture works with its wearer to regulate body temperature by assisting in ventilation. The garment emulates the breathing of its wearer, and its form is inspired by marine coral. This work is both a playful and a provocative look at the potential benefits of bio-mimicry and ubiquitous computing. Using galvanic-skinresponse sensors and shape-memory alloys embedded in hand-knitted and felted wool, Artifacts from a Parallel Universe is a garment born from a Utopian vision where human-machine co-evolution and interaction are beneficial to the preservation of the natural environment.

Xárene Eskandar’s background ranges from fashion and automotive design to architecture and event production. She has given talks internationally on her recently published book ‘vE-” jA: Art + Technology of Live Audio/Video, which captures a global snapshot of the international VJ scene. She has a BS in design from the University of Cincinnati, and an MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is currently working toward her PhD at UCLA in Architecture and Urban Design. Artifacts from a Parallel Universe: Tentative Architecture of Other Earth is an ongoing series of works and explorations conceived by Eskandar and produced by Grant Davis in collaboration with Joshua Hernandez (electronics engineering) and Christopher O’Leary (photography).