Guest Blog: Coding and Sewing ‘Threads of the Phoenix’ by Maker in Residence, Christina Ernst

As an engineer who combines technology and fashion, the Chicago World’s Fair – an event that celebrated technological advances against the backdrop of local tradition – was the perfect inspiration for my 12-week residency.

My final piece Threads of the Phoenix is a wearable technology piece and a tribute to Jackson Park’s Garden of the Phoenix, originally constructed for the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. Like its phoenix namesake, the garden’s story is one of fire and rebirth: it was destroyed by arson after WWII in a reflection of wartime Japanese-American relations. It was later rebuilt and rededicated in 1981.

I coded small motors to move and attached them to laser-cut and hand-dyed fabric feathers; these feathers gently oscillate between gold and flame-colored on the skirt of the dress, mirroring a burning phoenix. I hoped to spark wonder by making the dress interactive, so I built an additional circuit to control the dress from outside the display window. Put your hand up to the phoenix to trigger the moving feathers!

I believe that fashion technology is a powerful way to ignite interest in STEM, a conviction that was underscored by my experience teaching circuit classes at CPL. Attendees of many backgrounds, from quilters to teachers, were exceedingly creative in their plans to incorporate their new circuit skills in their craft or careers. The CPL Maker Lab is an accessible incubator of creativity and skill development in Chicago, and it was an honor to serve as Maker-in-Residence.

Threads of the Phoenix can be viewed today from State Street in the HWLC display window. 

Recommended Titles for further reading:

The Chicago World's Fair of 1893

Getting Started With Adafruit FLORA

Crafting Wearables

Arduino Wearables

Getting Started With Adafruit Circuit Playground Express