SENSEWARE Exposed

On Friday, I went to an exhibit at 21_21 Design Site, a small museum on the grassy area behind Midtown. The exhibit was called SENSEWARE and was a relatively small array of new textile designs that utilize nanotechnology. Unfortunately, I could not take any photos within the museum, but I can still describe to you some of my favorite displays. One of the materials in the exhibit was concrete imbedded with optic fibers. If light was shone on one side of the wall, it was visible on the other side. A dot pattern of light appeared on the wall where the fibers ended and the shadows of people walking on the other side could be seen. The wall practically appeared to be translucent. It was awe-inspiring. Another material I found interesting was made of a type of plastic that came from plant residue. Because of this, grass could be grown on it indoors without making any sort of mess. The material, a sort of layered grid shape, served as a replacement for soil. The way that this section of the exhibit was designed also appealed to me. There were little pockets of grass spread out around a perfectly white floor. Finally, towards the end of the exhibition, there were robotic little floor-cleaners that moved around the floor like caterpillars. The fabric that they were made out of absorbed the dirt on the floor. They had lights on their front that blinked almost affectionately.