I’m an artist, designer, researcher, and educator. I design interactions and prototypes as catalysts for discussion, mainly on topics of taboo. I’m interested in creating playful experiences and products that people want to use and are fun to wear – the kind that facilitate conversations and spark curiosity. I like crafting e-textiles and wearables, comics and graphic novels, science and nature, and mostly anything that involves traveling.
Recent projects include:
Intimates for breast self-awareness: http://www.banhomaria.net/intimatecare/Intimates/index.html
Experiments with thermochromic pigment: http://www.banhomaria.net/ThermoStopMotion.html
e-textiles workshops examples include:
Vestibles, Chile: http://www.banhomaria.net/TallerVestibles.html
Electronics for Women, Thailand: http://www.banhomaria.net/ElectronicsWomen.html
YOUR FAILED PROJECT
The project was developed in the context of academic research.
Research: The project was purposely created as a design toolkit to be included in a hands-on research workshop about pelvic fitness in women.
This project explored wearable e-textiles as i) a new creative set of materials and tangible medium to learn about human anatomy and physiology; ii) as embodied intimate learning experience.
The project consisted of two sets of materials for the activities of body mapping and DIY wearable e-textiles. This toolkit invited for on-body interactions and served as catalyst for conversations aimed at breaking the taboo on the topic.
other (describe) applied material
This project was an attempt to explore smart, wearable materials as method to research intimate health and wellbeing. While the concept was successful and a series of workshops were facilitated the e-textile component was a peripheral device that, if today, I would have given more consideration to, as the e-textile was underdeveloped. Exploring different textile technologies and techniques could have led to a more intricate working prototype.
As planned, the project lived through a total of four workshops with women and girls. It held a significant place within my overall PhD research and currently it is the backbone of a future project, The Bitness Project: a creative DIY toolkit for women and girls to learn about their intimate health.
The project consolidated the design requirements for exploring body literacy and intimate care in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). The e-textile toolkit was delivered through a series of design workshops that revealed qualities of body knowledge to be affected by topics of taboo, misinformation, and lack of self-awareness. Ultimately, these findings helped designing the next stage of the research, which led to explore augmented textiles.
ON E-TEXTILES
I am interested in exploring perspectives on design interactions by pioneering innovative approaches in smart textiles as material for health and wellbeing; possibilities for wearables to encourage healthier lifestyles. Furthermore, I am passionate about designing innovative methods that challenge traditional modes of learning and sharing knowledge through and with textile/soft technology.
E-textiles open new avenues to understanding how reconfiguring traditional notions of textile and disciplinary boundaries can contribute to, e.g. positive wellbeing and generate social impact. Approaches as such necessitate cross-disciplinary dialogue, and engaging for example design, ethics, philosophy, biomedical technology, and synthetic biology. The later can contribute to shape and strengthen knowledge, as part of the design intention and outcome.
Human-centered design approaches that bring together and strengthen cross-disciplinary dialogue and, as consequence, design/scientific outcomes.