Pauline Vandongen

The Flip-Dot dress is an investigation into the undulating surface of the body. It portraits the visible consequences of an action, which create a precise topography on the body.

The dress is an interactive garment developed together with Daniel Schatzmayr, electrical engineer/robot hacker. It is built using the principle of flip-dots, which react to sound and are individually addressed by a computer to animate mesmerizing patterns swirling around the body.
These dots are commonly used in a flip-dot display; an electromechanical dot-matrix display technology used for large outdoor signs. The movement of these dots is reminiscent of waterfalls, bird flocks or fish schools, swirling strata and lines of the earth's surface. They have a physical presence and tactility, emphasized by their flickering sound, that nowadays digital technology often lacks.
The whole design was developed in less than a month time during an Artist in Residency at the Museums Quartier in Vienna. The flip-dot dress has been premiered during the End Symposium of the Techno Sensual Exhibition, which was curated by Anouk Wipprecht.

Photography: Mike Nicolaassen
Hair & Make-up: Angelique Stapelbroek
Model: Ellis at Fresh Model Management