Wo. Defy - designing wearable technology in the context of historical cultural resistance practices.

Abstract

This paper presents the design process and technical development of Wo.Defy, an interactive kinetic garment that explores a suffragette cultural critique of the 'Self-Combing Sisters', a group of women in early twentieth century Chinese society who challenged and questioned the role of women's agency.Through elements of self-connection with hair and breath, Wo.Defy investigates intimacy with natural materials and technology that are close to one's skin, and provokes self-actuation through critique of social expectation within one's culture. We gathered feedback from participants at 5 exhibitions through open-ended interviews. Self-reported experience illustrated that wearable interaction can support self-reflection contextualized through cultural artifacts such as interactive clothing.