Karena's Brief

Infinity Wings is a wearable designed to capture the personality and accentuate the features of Tiffany Geigel, a dancer with Hiedi Latsky Dance company. Tiffany is a spicy, feisty, Latina woman who doesn’t hesitate to prove people wrong or speak her mind but is still a very easy-going, honest and relaxed person. She also has a rare bone disorder called Jarcho Levin Syndrome which causes a malformation in the back and/or the ribs. While this disability makes her shorter than the average person, it also makes her incredibly flexible.

Infinity Wings is a cape-like wearable, meant to symbolize abstract butterfly wings. The wings are shaped with verticle lemniscates that are made out of a polypropylene rope. During Tiffany’s interview, she mentioned that several positions that she does in On Display. Infinity Wings is optimized for when Tiffany is standing with her arms hugging her chest, in terms of this project, this is called cocoon position. The second position is when she has her arms extended in a T pose. Tiffany may also choose to let go of the grip loops and let it hang at her waist and/or upper chest so she has the freedom for positions that may have been restricted by her wearing the piece. 

Tinna's Brief:

Infinity Wings is a wearable designed for Tiffany Geigel, a dancer with the Heidi Latsky Dance Company, to wear for the On Display performance. The On Display performance is a deconstructed art exhibit/fashion show that highlights society’s fixation with body image. The performers are a group of people with atypical bodies who pose as sculptures in a sculpture court. Tiffany loves the spotlight when she is dancing; she describes herself as outgoing, honest, and feisty, and takes pride in shocking people and proving them wrong. She has Jarcho-Levin Syndrome, which is a rare disorder where the ribs and/or back are malformed. This condition makes Tiffany’s torso unusually short, but also makes her more flexible than most people, enabling her to move her body in a unique and fluid way. The aim of the Infinity Wings is to accentuate Tiffany’s features and voice her message. By making the design transform from a  simple and inconspicuous cocoon to a magnificent abstract butterfly, it reflects the stigma towards people with disabilities and how that stigma isn’t accurate.

The Infinity Wings is a wing-like wearable made of white rope looped into interconnected infinity loops that the dancer can manipulate. To make the piece more secure, a 3D-printed cap holds in place the sections, where the symbols intertwine. The piece narrows downwards, following the contour of the body. This design will not only accentuate Tiffany’s features and voice her message it will also enhance the performance. The Performance provides a way for disabled people to show their talents, creativity, and independence and also challenges the general public’s preconceived notions about the abilities and movements of atypical bodies.