Whale Hat
Wearable Sculpture
The Charrette
The Charrette was a week long event at Rochester Institute of Technology where everyone taking a foundation class had the opportunity to create a wearable sculpture. The theme for 2022
was memories.
was memories.
The white whales on top represent the migration process, which is believed to be guided by their memories. As the hat spins, the movement of the seven whales, like a zoetrope, reflects their journey through the ocean.
The bottom whales were made using different materials and techniques, based on a memory exercise. The first whale was drawn purely from my memory of what a whale looks like. As the exercise progressed, I would observe an image of a whale and then recreate it from memory after some time. The final whale was drawn while directly referencing the image.
Fashion Week Rochester
The Whale Hat was selected to be featured at Fashion Week Rochester, an event that showcases designs while raising money to support The Center for Youth.
Bevier Gallery
The hat was displayed in a curated exhibit in RIT's Bevier Gallery called After the Charrette.
Making the Hat
This three-tier hat uses a small disco ball motor (thanks to my roommate's donation) to assist with the spinning. A major challenge with relying on a small motor was that it wouldn't spin if the hat was too heavy or tilted.
Originally, the top tier was made of cardboard, but due to its weight, it wouldn’t spin. To solve this problem, I remade it with paperboard, which was much lighter in comparison. Even with the weight reduction, the hat still couldn’t spin entirely on its own due to the inconsistent angle while on my head. Although it couldn't spin on its own, the motor still helped it spin for longer than without it.
