Where the project goes next

Body as Pattern is a living research project. The work submitted here represents the foundation of a methodology that is designed to grow, evolve and be tested across new contexts, new collaborators and new cultural environments. The next stages of development are already in motion.

What has been achieved

The surface patterns generated from the movement traces of Mimi and Wendy have been developed into a two-piece digital garment constructed in CLO3D. Every seam line, every surface and every volume is directly traceable back to a specific movement captured in one of the sessions. The garment has been animated and synchronised to the original music mix combining House of Whitney and The Call. The fabric moves on the same music that made the body move.

Closing the transdisciplinary loop

The animated garment has been shared with Wendy. The object born from her movement has been returned to her as a new proposition. Her response is being documented as the final layer of research data, determining whether the knowledge has truly completed its cycle.

Colour development

The surface patterns have been developed in both black and white and colour versions. Warm terracotta and gold tones for Mimi's fluid organic patterns. Dark blues and silvers for the Deep House sharp edgy collection. Deep earth tones, ochres and forest greens for the Ndombolo earthy wide patterns.

Longer term vision

Beyond this project, Body as Pattern has the potential to become a transferable research framework applicable to other dancers, other musical traditions and other cultural contexts. A planned collaboration with Marine Beaudin, a professional dance teacher and artistic director based in Prague with over fifteen years of experience, will test the methodology in a new cultural context. Her practice spans jazz, French cancan, salsa, tango, urban dance and swing. In January 2026 she directed a performance bringing together over 300 people in Prague. Working with Marine will explore how European social dance traditions generate their own distinct visual languages through the Body as Pattern process.

The project could also be developed into an installation or performance piece, where the animated garment is projected alongside the original dance footage and music, creating an immersive experience that makes the research process visible to a wider audience.

Publishing the method

The longer term ambition is to formalise Body as Pattern as a replicable research protocol that other practitioners in fashion design, choreography and digital arts could apply independently. This would involve co-authoring the methodology with the dancers who shaped it, including Wendy, whose feedback directly determined the design language of the first garment. A method born from collaboration should be published through collaboration.

An open invitation

Body as Pattern is not a closed project. It is a framework that others can contribute to, build on or commission in part. Choreographers, musicians, fashion designers, researchers and cultural institutions interested in the intersection of movement, sound and digital design are welcome to get in touch.