The Platform 101 is a shoe designed for sex work - in particular, with the safety of the workers in mind. The shoes come equipped with a built in audible alarm system, hidden safety compartment for stashing keys, cash, condoms, etc., and a customized version of Rave Guardian, a wireless emergency signal and GPS locator allowing the wearer to send a call for help and give their location through GPS.
There is also an online component of Platforms -- a website that will provide sex workers with a basic email client, calendar, "problem client" blog, chat rooms and an area for downloading audio and video for the shoes. There will also be a link on the website to track the user's shoes (and other registered sex workers with transmitters) using Rave Guardian technology. This will be a secure community network that protects the privacy of its users. As with the university systems and APRS, tracking is voluntary and can be turned on or off at any time. Each sex worker will have their own login to program their shoes, access email, and post information on problem customers. Workers can also track customers, set up appointments, create schedules, and access health and other resources.
The shoe has been created by the Aphrodite Project to re-examine the role of consumer design in marginalizing the experiences of women and question moral attitudes and value judgments about sex work. The project is also examining surveillance technology -- What are the ethics of surveillance and tracking? Is it possible to ensure that this information will empower and not endanger sex workers? Is it ever possible to guarantee that knowledge will stay within the hands of those who it is intended for?
In the artists’s words: “The shoes address creativity and artmaking as well as practical issues of design and marketability. It is our hope that in addition to creating beautifully crafted objects, the project will contribute to the current international debate over the regulation, decriminalization, and legalization of prostitution.”
Check out the Aphrodite Project’s website for more info.
Thanks to Valentina Culatti at Neural.
Posted by Michael Lithgow on September 7, 2007 in
New York designer Fiona Carswell has developed an ingenious "Smoking Jacket" that playfully reminds us of the consequences of smoking in a way that government regulators wish they were clever enough to emulate.
"The jacket has a built-in pair of lungs on the front. As the wearer smokes, the lungs fill up with the exhaled cigarette smoke and begin to gradually darken over time.
This project was a result of exploring reflective design as it relates to the body, behavioral choices, and information displays."
Via we make money not art.
Posted by Rob Maguire on May 22, 2007 in
Political and cultural iconic design often starts from a place of solidarity and union, but then gets co-opted by mainstream pop culture. This is no surprise, revolution needs symbols, and these symbols need to be noticed.
But is there a gain and/or loss to a cause when these symbols become an fashion accessory? Look at Ché. And, ask any wide-eyed kid with a button who Ernesto Guevara de la Serna is and you are likely to be met with a blank stare.
Now take a look at the next urbanite wearing a kuffiyeh. Has the traditional head scarf worn by Yasser Arafat and others fighting in support of Palestinian freedom from occupation become reduced to a trendy fashion statement rather than a political one? Or does appropriation and imitation symbolize public solidarity with Palestinian resistance?
I would hope for the latter, that acceptance and solidarity are behind the trend, but would not be surprised if the Ché syndrome spreads onto kuffiyeh wearers.
Afterall, they hit Urban Outfitters according to KABOBfest, and not without Zionist protest. But, is this a victory, or just an unbelievable deal for just $20? Attractive yes, but my sceptical self wonders how long cultural and political identity survives on a sale rack.
Posted by Aisling Chin-Yee on March 22, 2007 in
The tried and tested method of expressing politics through garment art has a new player on the scene. Move over so-called progressive American Apparel, there's a new t-shirt vendour in town who's politics tackle everything from sexism to First Nations representation (although, in the fine print, Demockratees does purchase from AA, instead of the better, under-hyped NoSweat). Pawhuska, Kansas based Demockratees sells apparel that is not only ethically, sustainably and fairly made, but that also delivers powerful political art below your chin.
FULL STORY + COMMENTS
Posted by Ezra Winton on February 24, 2007 in
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