Looking Outwards 03: Computational Fabrication

I was really drawn to Kate Hartman, a designer of computational wearables,
and her Porcupine Experiments, a project based on a wearables made from
everyday materials. For her particular project, Hartman opted to use
cardboard, brass fasteners and washers, nylon webbing, and triglide
fasteners. The vest’s design was created in Autodesk Fusion 360 and cut
out with an Epilog laser cutter. Hartman then hosted a Porcupine Workshop
in San Francisco, giving participants free materials and allowing them
to create their own vests with their hands and imaginations.

I think this project is quite enjoyable and unique due to the nature of the
vests. The designs are very spiky and jarring and really emulate a porcupines’
quills, which is very different from typical pleasing design conventions and
brings the vests’ usefulness into question (probably what Hartman was intending.) I also enjoyed how accessible these wearables are. As long as anyone has some cardboard, they’re free to make their own designs from Hartman’s blueprints and create some truly unique and playful vests.

For anyone who also wants to make a porcupine vest, they can find Hartman’s free online instructions here.