Karena's Brief:

Metamorphic Wings is a wearable designed to capture the personality and accentuate the features of Tiffany Geigel, a dancer with Heidi Latsky Dance company. Consisting of wings with living hinges, Metamorphic Wings symbolizes the stigma society has towards people with disabilities and empowers them to be their true and authentic selves.

Designed to look like butterfly wings, Metamorphic Wings aims to represent Tiffany's self-image: regardless of how people judge her before knowing her, she will always feel like a majestic butterfly when she dances. The wings are made of thin wood and have living hinges at various points so that Tiffany can fold them. Elastic fabric not only adds to the "plain look" but also serves as a support for the living hinge. The plain look was incorporated so that when Tiffany opens the wings people are wowed by them in a way in which they might not have been with the wings closed. The design enhances one specific position that Tiffany assumes in the dance companies On Display performances, which show off atypical bodies and performers with disabilities. When she stands and has her arms hugging her body, the wings will fold inwards and wrap around her, mimicking a cocoon. She can also then move her arms to a T pose and the wings will be extended in full glory. This metamorphosis of the positions illustrates how people think she might be dependent because of her disability but in fact, she is a very strong independent dancer. 

Tinna's Brief:

The Metamorphic Wings is a wearable design that aims to challenge the stigma society has towards people with disabilities. The design demonstrates that people with atypical bodies are much more than their disability. The Metamorphic Wings design is created for the Heidi Latsky Dance Company's On Display performance, 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. The design is specifically made for Tiffany Geigel, one of the performers. 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 that leads to malformation of the ribs and/or back. This condition makes Tiffany’s torso unusually short but also enables her to move her body in a unique and more fluid way compared to other dancers. The design helps to unveil Tiffany's extraordinary talent and surprise the audience.

The Metamorphic Wings transforms from a cocoon-like state into a majestic abstract butterfly. The wings are made with stretchable fabric and thin wood, which gives the design structure and makes the wings stay in place. The original design was made with thermoplastic which was too flimsy so the thin wood with living hinges was introduced. The living hinges are created by edging the material in a specific pattern, making it easier for the dancer to manipulate the piece. The white elastic fabric attaches to the structural piece of the design, which is the thin wood, with spray-on adhesive. The fabric is meant to add dimension to the design and secure the living hinges.

The Metamorphic Wings have a dual purpose. They enhance the performance and communicate Tiffany’s message. Also by showcasing the talent, creativity, and independence of people with atypical bodies, The wearables for the On Display performance,  empowers not only the performers themselves but also the audience to be their unapologetic selves. 

Automated doors have allowed buildings to be significantly more accessible, giving people with physical impairments the ability to navigate more independently, and generally being convenient for everyone. However, while current door automating systems offer great accessibility, the systems themselves are not very accessible to the general public. They typically cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars, have extremely involved installation, and are huge, intrusive devices. Doorbot solves these problems with a low profile, easy to use, and affordable design. Doorbot uses two motors to open a door, one that pulls the doors handle down with a string, and one with a wheel on the ground to roll the door open. To install Doorbot, the user simply slides the device beneath the door and uses the ratcheting mechanism to push up and grip the door, while pushing the wheel against the ground for improved traction. Then, after attaching the string on the device to the door handle with its strapping mechanism, the user can simply actuate the remote control to open that door. Since the design only requires two motors, a receiver, and remote, it can be made for under a hundred dollars.

Small Medium is a ghost-themed comic zine that serves as a pilot for a larger series of comics. Small medium is geared towards teens and has supernatural and murder mystery elements. Each comic follows a monster of the week format where the protagonists have to help a different ghost complete their final wish before they can move to what comes next. In the pilot, the main villain is introduced as Moss's mother, who is currently under the possession of the same serial killer who killed Cherie. The mechanic of ghosts' final wishes is also introduced; these wishes are the regrets and repressed emotions that stop them from moving forward. The comic has a limited print of some copies and consists of ten pages. The art is all hand inked with a grey tone added. The style is simple for the main characters but is broken for depictions of scarier ghosts. The comic is a pilot for future comics that would more greatly explore the characters and world-building. This comic is meant to echo with people who are coping with their own ‘ghosts’ or parts of their past that are holding them back. While the main goal of the comic is to be entertaining, seeing fictional characters overcome struggles similar to one’s own can be extremely empowering.

The project will support Heidi Latsky with her mission to create a moving and revolutionary performance art piece that challenges people's biases and prompts conversation about disability. Amy Meisner is a dancer with Heidi Latsky’s Dance Company. She danced professionally as a young adult but eventually quit to pursue social work. She mentioned that the last role she auditioned for was in the ballet, Aphrodite. Even though she did not receive the role she says it stayed with her as her farewell to ballet. She started experiencing symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis a few years after quitting dance. She spoke about how, to get to the house of a client of hers that lived on a hill, she had to cling to a chain link fence for support. As her symptoms worsened she had to use a wheelchair. Many years after her diagnosis she was convinced to dance with Heidi Latsky Dance company. She also spoke about her insecurities, both her MS and her age brought her farther from her idea of the ideal dancer.

The Evening Star is a chest piece made out of multiple chains of interlocking small clear acrylic triangles. The chains are an artistic representation of the chain link fence Amy used for support. The chains also represent Amy’s personal armor with their references to chainmail. The chest piece itself is comprised of multiple concentric chains. The draping of the chains is meant to show the Grecian influence from the ballet Aphrodite. The triangle links also make the chain look like crystals, a reference to Amy’s love of them. The piece is attached by an adjustable strap that rests on the wearer’s shoulders. As Amy is in a wheelchair the designs are focused on the front of her body.

Melina:

The Blueberry Tutu: A tutu with a blueberry branch design coiling from its center, bringing together a modern dancer's youthful passion for ballet and her strong roots in her home on a Vermont blueberry farm. The spiral frame attaches to a connected inner elastic belt, and when Louisa raises her arms, the spiral extends upwards.

In a society where people often feel the need to conform, a striking individual like Louisa Marie Mann stands out. Born and raised on a Vermont blueberry farm, Louisa is an expressive, goal-driven, forward-thinking, and insightful dancer for Heidi Latsky Dance. To this day, the blueberry branch is a symbol to Louisa of her strength, grounding her in her identity, so much so that she has one tattooed on her upper arm. Brought up as a professional ballet dancer from a very young age, Louisa fell in love with the art and techniques of ballet, and dreamed to one day play the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. However, as Louisa explored other physical creative outlets, she realized that modern dancing was a much better fit for her innovative, though ballet-inspired, ideas. Now, Louisa shares herself confidently with the world as a part of Heidi Latsky’s On Display performances, challenging assumptions of what dance is “supposed to” look like and advocating for making dance accessible to all ranges of ability.

The Blueberry Tutu aims to showcase Louisa’s strong and loving roots at her home in the Vermont blueberry farm that shaped her, while demonstrating how her childhood passions developed over time into a unique expression of her personality. The costume is built from a white, contemporary-style ballet tutu frame, with rope attached to each round of the spiral. When Louisa raises her arms, the spiral extrudes upwards. White elastic grips the waist, while additional white elastic attached from the waist band to the inner hoop allows for great support, and a great range of motion. Pairing classical and modern, as well as natural and urban styles, The Blueberry Tutu captures Louisa's spectacular journey in a striking fashion.

Jakob:

A wearable designed for a dancer Louisa, to bring together her love for her Vermont home and her love of ballet by using blueberry plant patterns to create a three-dimensional, adaptive tutu.

Blueberry Tutu is designed for Louisa, a dancer who grew up in Vermont on a blueberry farm. Throughout her childhood, she wished to become The Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker. This wearable brings together these two aspects of her personality by using a blueberry plant pattern to create a tutu. A spiral cut pattern adds three-dimensionality by allowing the tutu to move up and down, changing shape based on the movements of her body. The original design was fixes elasticity to the west which allowed for some motion, but not enough. It also incorporated natural sticks which are fragile and hard to transport. The new design utilizes a spiral that looks like a blueberry plant wrapping around her. The spiral is attached to her arms at three locations allowing her to control the geometry of the tutu with her arms. 

Ben's brief:

A belt designed for a dancer named Peter,  using the symbolism of roots to show the symbiotic relationship between him and his wheelchair, which he thinks of as a living being. Rope designed to look like roots runs up and down his legs and attaches to his wheelchair in the back. 

Peter's Roots is a belt designed for Peter, a dancer at the Heidi Latsky dance company. Peter has cerebral palsy, which forces him to use a wheelchair while dancing. His love of the environment inspired the design, in which rope that looks like roots runs up and down his legs and attaches to his wheelchair in the back. The final design incorporates acrylic that holds the rope in place to ensure a root-like look. Peter just has to slip the belt and leg piece onto his waist to wear it for the On Display performance which addresses the issue of how people with disabilities are viewed by society. Because Peter is very open about his disability and is quite outgoing, the wearable doesn't try to hide his disability but instead draws attention to it. Peter's Roots helps Peter show that the wheelchair is not an impairment but an essential part of who he is.

Richie's Brief:

A wearable that explores the bond between Peter and his wheelchair, which he has named Timothy. It consists of rope frayed to look like roots that runs all around Peter's lower body and straps him into his wheelchair.  

Peter's Roots is a wearable inspired by Peter, a dancer in Heidi Latsky's dance company, which focuses on the inclusion of all bodies. Because Peter has cerebral palsy, which has restricted the use of his legs, he uses a wheelchair, but he likes to be seen as more than his disability. Peter majored in environmental studies in college and would like to work with the environment. This inspired the design to have a natural feel. Peter's Roots consists of rope frayed to look like roots that runs all around Peter's lower body and straps him into his wheelchair. [this is significant--does the belt replace a functional strap that felt constraining? it's a good point to spell out] Peter calls his wheelchair Timothy and sees Timothy as a dance partner when he is dancing. The roots in the design illustrate the living connection between Peter and Timothy. On Display, the art installation for which Peter will wear Peter's Roots, engages the issue of how people with disabilities, and their use of assistive devices, are viewed in our society. The hope is that Peter's Roots will help people to see a wheelchair not as a symbol of disability, but as a symbol of enabling. The final design modified the arrangement of the rope roots so that the flow of roots was more organized.