2008 | LUMINESCENT TEA TABLE FROM THE BOOK FASHIONING TECHNOLOGY | PUBLISHED BY O’REILLY MEDIA

Emerging Talent No. 18: Syuzi Pakhchyan
“Syuzi Pakhchyan is fearless,” says Anne Burdick, chair of the Media Design Program at Art Center College of Design. “She’s a border-crosser, a cultural mixer. She’s a designer with multilevel understanding: The things we make and play with are equal parts technological innovation, design intervention and social engagement.” Pakhchyan is an interaction designer, robotics instructor, artist and professional tinkerer who works and resides in L.A. She explores wearable computing as a social, educational and entertainment platform, often through the use of electronic textiles, “smart” fabrics, conductive thread, LEDs, thermo- and photochromic inks and microcomputers.

“Historically, craft, fashion and technology have always had an intimate relationship,” observes Pakhchyan. “Developments in one field have spurred creativity and invention in the other. E-textiles, I feel, are the next frontier that [will allow] designers to experiment with new technologies, not only to innovate but to invent new imagined futures and possibilities.” The fact that this emerging field isn’t yet populated with rules and parameters draws Pakhchyan in, allowing her a continual sense of discovery and making her much in demand as a workshop leader and writer. She is a frequent contributor in the art/DIY/tech scene, including Craft and Make magazines. She blogs about smart materials and wearable computing, and is the author of the recently published Fashioning Technology: A DIY Intro to Smart Crafting, the first educational DIY book to fuse fashion, craft and technology. She also consults with various technology companies as a user experience designer. Her projects have been exhibited at Eyebeam; the FashionFuture Event in Pisa, Italy; SXSW (South by Southwest Festival); Maker Faire and the Emerging Technologies Conference. She has made several guest appearances on Craft Lab, on television’s DIY Network.

Pakhchyan received her BFA from UC Berkley in Russian Literature, and her MFA in Media Design from Art Center. After graduation she began SparkLab.la as a company and research facility. SparkLab explores and encourages ludic (from the Latin, “play”) activities that celebrate the quirky and speculative while reflecting cultural narratives and personal experiences. These explorations often lead Pakhchyan to spur-of-the-moment inventions. “The presence of the handmade in my work is partially due to the scarcity of electronic textiles available in the market for designers, artists and makers,” explains Pakhchyan. “As a result, simple electronic controls and sensors such as switches, tilt and touch sensors, etc., need to be crafted by hand.”

Pakhchyan has noteworthy abilities: to make the complex simple, translate learning into entertainment, and use technology as a tool to inspire creativity. “What I think is interesting about her work is that she has merged technology and craft in a way that is fun and easy for the common person,” says design and business consultant Krystina Castella. “I love her experimentation with materials and how that drives her ideas. She is one to watch, because she is smart, culturally aware and articulate.”
www.sparklab.la | www.fashioningtechnology.com