I’ve decided on the idea of having peacock feathers open up like a fan in front of the body, the motor being at the hip area.
The collection of feathers will hang off the hip until the motor is activated the the top feather begins the rotation up towards the face, and the others follow. They will all be connected by fabric (potentially heat set into an accordion pleat) and stitch, and the feathers sticks will be reinforced using plastic (probably stitched into the fabric/slotted into a gap).
The top and skirt garments will be relatively secondary to the main feather-fan piece as that will cover most of the garment once activated to full stretch.
In accordance with the theme ‘Conceal and Reveal’ this garment takes inspiration from the peacock bird. It plays on the term ‘Peacocking’ which describes dressing to attract attention. By incorporating technology, the garment has this ability to demand the audience’s observation as it replicates the motion of the peacock’s tail by opening and closing like a fan. The use of a proximity sensor provides a form of interactivity by allowing the nearby observers to activate its motion. This unanticipated action further enhancing the observer’s experience. The garment will respond to an audience, just as an audience will respond to it.