The Constellation Dresses and the Leeches raise specific questions regarding our increasing need for power – electric energy – in order to feed the electronic devices that we wear on our bodies and will soon be integrating into our electronic garments. These projects address ecological concerns through the design of garments that directly tackle issues of power consumption and sustainability through the exploration of different parasitic metaphors, where electronic modules suck power from our bodies and electronic garments suck power from each other. Central to this exploration is the question: where does power come from in a wearable context and how do we connect to various power sources?
The Leeches dress, constructed with stitched conductive organza stripes, functions as a soft, wearable, and reconfigurable power-distribution substrate for attaching individual silicone-coated electronic modules (the “Leeches”) that illuminate the dress. The Leeches can be attached in a variety or positions and configurations. They are held in place by magnetic snaps, which act both as mechanical and electrical connections.
A single power module can be attached at the shoulder. This module can power up to ten Leeches scattered around the body. The red LEDs inside the Leeches resemble power-hungry creatures that, once attached, suck or draw power (the metaphoric "blood") from your body and reference the potential dangers of electromagnetic fields emanating from electronic garments.