Caroline Pretterebner

The collection „virtuality check NOW!“ revolves around humans rendered transparent through technology, the notion of surveillance and the scientification of mankind and nature.
With the increasing advancement of scientific discoveries layers and layers of reality appear. The physical exploration of the functionality of the human body is the premise of cybernetics and also of virtual reality.
The 3D poly mesh is a tool for creating 3D graphics and for the collection it symbolizes the essence of physical theories on technology. This perception manifests in the so-called scientific grid or screen. This 3D grid was adapted for a print for full-body leotards in different colours with reflecting grid lines in metallic tones that are the base underneath almost every outfit.
Today mass surveillance and the loss of data privacy have transformed people into transparent entities. The term of the transparent man is a metaphor for surveillance and is used in the context of global and mass surveillance, the loss of data privacy and of privacy generally speaking. In all kinds of social situations people rely on their online skills and presence, trying to satisfy their cravings for information and online interaction thereby distorting social interaction. This behaviour can be interpreted as an escapism from reality. People have to convert from the 2D screen to our multidimensional reality and experience glitches in this process of translation. The term glitch is used to describe software bugs and graphical errors. This distortion and shifting of reality happens when the all-seeing eye of Google tries to depict reality for Google maps. When cartographical 2D photos are layered in order to achieve a pseudo three-dimensional map these glitches appear. So the attempt to depict reality results in a distortion of reality. Glitches also appear when people switch from the tangible physical reality to a virtual pseudo reality and back. The collection „virtuality check NOW!“ comprises dresses inspired by such distortions with matching asymmetrical necklines and hemlines and oblique edges. Referring to this process of translation the clothes are optically shifted like glitches which further gives them a surreal impression. The silhouettes of the collection reveal these alterations, glitches and shifts in voluminous and flowy shapes with fabrics ranging from silk satin, silk velvet, softshell, thin nylon jersey and oilcloth in electric blue, taupe, bright red, dark magenta, beige, pastel yellow, lilac and iris blue.