How can we combine digitization and sustainability together in the fashion and design industries? This was the question at the basis of our discussion with OFundamentO. Some answers are coming straight from the traditional manufacturing industry in Portugal: let us go back to the machines!
Did you know that knitting machines were the first computers? It is simple – the knitting machine translates a picture into pixels and turns them into knitted loops. The challenge, however, is how to bring two totally different kinds of people and industries together.
The Portuguese-based company FNDMT – OFundamentO (Portuguese for TheFUNDAMENT) – found a way to make it happen, bringing together technologists and designers to work on the creation of new products.
The energy of the team and their will to gather the local community to work together on new or renewed processes seduced us at first sight, and we wanted to share this with the STARTS community!
Lisa Lang and her team have been creating community projects to empower artists through technology, connecting their arts with hacked industrial machines and turning their work into technology-enhanced art pieces – fully sustainable, high quality and made in Europe.
For her first community project – “The Knitting Project” – Lisa Lang invited two amazing artists, Anna Niestroj, a digital pattern designer based in Berlin, and Graça Paz, a painter from Porto, to develop a textile experiment in the spirit of the women of Bauhaus, honouring their vanguard work in design. 100 years later, here we are again: female artists hacking the machines, bringing art and technology together and creating high-quality products, proudly made in Europe. Anna and Graça have created three exclusive patterns each, now turned into beautiful jacquard wearable knits in the shades of neon, pastel, and B&W. You can see the result of this partnership, turned into a successful Kickstarter campaign here. (Video of the campaign HERE).
For this session, Graça will introduce her work and feedbacks, which will open a great opportunity for the STARTS artists and designers to exchange and open new perspectives for their work.
The main objectives of this online session are to:
- connect the community of STARTS & FNDMT;
- have an open conversation about how can arts play a role in humanizing technology, especially regarding the current crisis we are experiencing. How can artists adapt their work to support a more sustainable fashion? How can digitization enhance ethical processes and products?
- share insights about the successful crowdfunding campaignof FNDMT first Community project: The Knitting Project
- Present the FNDMT call for artists through The Capaz Project
Meet the speakers:
Lisa Lang, Founder & CEO of ElektroCoutrue, ThePowerHouse and FNDMT (OFundamentO)
Lisa Lang is a European entrepreneur, technologist and international keynote speaker. She has gained recognition as one of Forbes Europe’s Top 50 Women in Tech, top 100 most influential people in wearable tech worldwide, one of 25 leaders in fashion and technology worldwide, and has been listed as one of the 50 most important women for innovation & startups in the EU. Lisa Lang is a direct adviser for fashion, technology and entrepreneurship for the European Commission. Since 2019 she’s the lead mentor for the new course of digital fashion at Polimoda Florence.
Aurélie Delater, Senior Project Manager at INOVA, Coordinator of STARTS ECOSYSTEM
After 10 years of experience in France and Brazil, working as a project manager with social workers, lawyers and researchers, I am currently living in Porto, Portugal. At INOVA+, I am a Senior Project Manager, within the Science & Technology area, where I focus on the fields of Creative Industries, Arts and Technology, managing H2020 projects at European level. I love the energy of creators and artists, and the value they bring to innovation and to thinking out of the box, at the social, economic and environmental levels. I am particularly interested in supporting co-creation processes between Tech and Arts, through the monitoring of residencies, and to develop new mechanisms to enhance such hybrid collaborations. I currently dedicate to the coordination of the H2020 CSA S+T+ARTS ECOSYSTEM project led by INOVA+, where I am responsible for STARTS in MOTION and the animation of starts.eu. I am also a mentor since 2018, through MyJobGlasses, for students willing to know more about the Project Manager Job.
Join the discussion on Wednesday 13th May at 5pm CEST to be part of the exchanges!
Credit Picture 1: Rossana Mendes Fonseca for O FNDMT
Credit picture 2: STARTS ECOSYSTEM
