Photos by Dan Meyers
With flashing lights, movable parts, and a Frankensteinian assortment of secondhand fabrics, Matthew Reading’s wedding gown is a far cry from the elegant frocks most brides choose for their big day. Then again, the Maryland Institute College of Art student, who designed the dress for the Wash and Wear Electronics course, didn’t intend to laud the traditional matrimonial affair. “As a performer and costumer I thought the whole production really relevant to my work,” he tells Ecouterre. “I wanted to, through lights and motors, use this piece to exaggerate the already absurd costume that is the wedding gown.”
SMART WEDDING
To make his bridal gown less “redundant,” Reading jazzed up his design with LilyPad Arduino microcontroller, conductive embroidery thread, LED lights, and servo motors.
The dress includes sensors that respond to light and temperature.
Made from white reclaimed cotton, the dress includes a simple bodice, a fuller lace skirt, and sensors that respond to light and temperature. Reading also included an optional shawl, as well as an oversize collar that flaps up and down. If Reading’s goal was to make bridal attire less humdrum; well, mission accomplished.
I am sooooo tired of anyone and everyone jumping on the “let’s light this up!” bandwagon purely for the sake of titillation. Good art and design has a concept and this does not convince me. It is just a bad design…lit up.