The Jacket project is a wearable interaction design in which people can play with their body temperatures. This artwork started from research I did on a mountain rescuer’s life where I viewed the high awareness they have for temperature and equipment related to it.
Jacket 1- 10 Pocket Jacket
When I researched peoples’ interactions with body temperature in daily life, I found that body temperature makes people feel close with each other but can also make them feel further apart. For example, when we touch a bus handle, we may have an unpleasant sensation when we feel the body temperature of a stranger who grabbed it and heated it up. It makes us weirdly too close to the stranger. On the other hand, when we use a hot pad in the winter, we want to be isolated and snuggle with it without anyone else heating us up. I designed a jacket with 10 pockets to demonstrate this social norm.
Jacket 2- 14 Stone Jacket
Electronic devices are good at controlling their heat. On the other hand, people often need more heat or cold. How can people circulate their body temperature from person to person like the heat system of electronic devices? How can people give/take their heat from each other? I designed a jacket with 14 stones put in each of the 14 pockets. The stones can save body temperature and then be delivered to people who need more heat.
Jacket 3- Rice Jacket
When our emotions change, our body temperature changes. For instance, when we are sad, our limbs get cold. When we feel happy or excited, our bodies get overheated. I designed a microwavable and freezable jacket filled with rice and lavender seeds for an individual to interact with his or her emotions and body temperature.