Using structures inspired by viruses and their analogues, virus-like particles, Crystallized aims to reinterpret the beauty and evolutionary power of the virus world within the constraints of wearable media. Crystallized explores the structural forms of biologically protective particles in vaccines as an analogy for clothing’s fundamental role as protective architecture.

1. Crystallized
Hybrid Worlds: Nano+Bio+Art
Victoria Vesna | Siddarth Ramakrishnan
Katherine Lee
MFADT candidate 2010

2. abstract
Crystallized seeks to apply the logic and
elegance of natural systems to wearables,
exploring the structural relationships that
emerge through relating viral forms to
wearable objects. Using structures
inspired by viruses, Crystallized aims to
reinterpret the beauty and evolutionary
robustness of the virus world within the
constraints of wearable media.

3. concept
Virology is a source of well-validated
structures & shapes.
These architectural forms can be
deconstructed or abstracted to create novel
wearables and explore unprecedented
applications.

4. social context
o dern
P ostm
i on
fash
this
project

5. precedents

6. proposal
I propose a series of wearable
representations of viral structures
investigating novel architectures
within the constraints of wearable
media and human scale
2.
Structural
1.
Laser-­‐cut
tex8les
of
molecular
representa8ons
of
representa8ons
of
protec8ve
Influenza
vaccine
proteins
molecular
forms

7. design questions
• How can virus-like structures and forms be
meaningfully deconstructed and applied to
wearables?
• What novel and functional architectures
can be created?

8. references
• N-e-r-v-o-u-s system custom dendrite program. Image: screen shot
via http://n-e-r-v-o-u-s.com/dendrite/. 2009.
• Mashallah Designs, T-shirt Issue. Image: Marco Marcus. 2008.
• Dimmock, N. J., Andrew Easton, and Keith Leppard. 2001.
Introduction to modern virology. 5th ed. Malden, MA: Blackwell
Science.
• English, Bonnie. 2007. A cultural history of fashion in the twentieth
century: From the catwalk to the sidewalk. English ed. Oxford; New
York: Berg. Loschek, Ingrid. 2009. When clothes become fashion :
Design and innovation systems [Wann is Mode?]. English ed.
Oxford ; New York: Berg.
• Noad, R. Roy, P. Virus-Like Particles as Immunogens. 2003. Trends
Microbio. Sep;11(9):438-44.