The brain-child of award winning fashion designer turned game designer, Kaho Abe, Playable Fashion is a teen fashion and game design program taking place throughout the spring of 2013 at Eyebeam Art and Technology Center, a member organization the of HIVE Learning Network, an organization which funds and connects innovative out-of-school youth programs focused on creativity and 21st century skills. In collaboration with Abe, I am developing an experimental curriculum blending game design, fashion and wearable technology for our semester long Tues/Wed afternoon program. Recently we taught a weekend workshop for 24 high school students to kick off the program, hacking optical mice over a two day period and incorporating them into wearable game controllers. Our post-workshop reflection (with images of our creations and of the youth participants in action) was featured as a guest post HIVE’s blog. We’ll continue to reflect on our work in “Playable Fashion” throughout the spring as our students explore the intersection of hand-built electronics, custom fashion design and games. To find out more information about the workshop and the afterschool program for a teen you know, please visit Eyebeam’s website for details.
(illustration/worksheet by Kaho Abe, photos by Kristana Textor and myself)
