It looks like what you’d want to wear if you were invited to a dinner party … with Sun Ra and his Arkestra.
It lights up and responds as though you’re about to guest star on a Japanese TV show about a trans-dimensional space princess.
But then… it starts making music. And the wild whimsy of the Chromehatic turns into a sultry set piece for a pitch-perfect performance by vocalist FEMME, celebrated London-based performer/producer.
As for the headpiece itself, it launches a line entitled SENSEries, pairing milliner/couture designer Jodie Cartman (whose work has shown up on the brow of Morcheeba with crewdson, aka London’s Hugh Jones, an instrument builder and musician.
Watch:
I love that the aesthetic of the headpiece, the interaction, the music, and the performance all fuse together. So, it’s a MIDI controller – it could be anything – but there’s a singular statement of style.
The video debuts on The 405, which sounds like the name of a California freeway, but is actually a UK culture site and event platform.
The Chromehatic: A wearable musical instrument by Jodie Cartman and Crewdson [405 Premiere]
A lot of “wearable tech” amounts to sewing a few LEDs in a jean jacket – not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it’s nice to see someone get the whole package together.
And Femme, by the way, seems to me a really talented singer.
#millinery on CDM … your move, next.
Pretty sure at least half the people I know here in Asheville will want a hat like that 🙂
Pretty sure at least half the people I know here in Asheville will want a hat like that 🙂
Pretty sure at least half the people I know here in Asheville will want a hat like that 🙂
I like it. It makes for a costume that multitasks between video and live shows quite well. The scale of the “headlights” and gestures works better for video or a small, low lit environment, but the foil top would compensate by looking spectacular under stage lights. It captures a little cool Metropolis robot/Cybermen vibe without excessively emulating that cliche Metropolis robot/Cybermen look.
I like it. It makes for a costume that multitasks between video and live shows quite well. The scale of the “headlights” and gestures works better for video or a small, low lit environment, but the foil top would compensate by looking spectacular under stage lights. It captures a bit of cool Metropolis robot/Cybermen vibe without excessively emulating that cliche Metropolis robot/Cybermen look.
I like it. It makes for a costume that multitasks between video and live shows quite well. The scale of the “headlights” and gestures works better for video or a small, low lit environment, but the foil top would compensate by looking spectacular under stage lights. It captures a bit of cool Metropolis robot/Cybermen vibe without excessively emulating that cliche Metropolis robot/Cybermen look.
This is cool, but it looks like after the music starts she’s not actually playing the melody that she started with, but is “finger synching” with the track. Not a bad thing, but perhaps misleading for a teaser that’s advertising an instrument.
This is cool, but it looks like after the music starts she’s not actually playing the melody that she started with, but is “finger synching” with the track. Not a bad thing, but perhaps misleading for a teaser that’s advertising an instrument.
This is cool, but it looks like after the music starts she’s not actually playing the melody that she started with, but is “finger synching” with the track. Not a bad thing, but perhaps misleading for a teaser that’s advertising an instrument.