Garments Based on Anatomy by Artist Amy Karle

Merging anatomy, fashion, and technology, artist and designer Amy Karle created wearable art garments inspired by the human nervous system, lung, and ligaments. Each piece is created in a different method incorporating reality capture, 3D scans of the body, anatomical style drawings into digital designs (CAD), and laser cut pattern pieces that are hand and machine sewn into the final garments.

"Switching up conventions about the body and beauty, this series of garments shows our internal systems in wearable form. I wanted to highlight the beauty that I see in the perfection of these systems" - Amy Karle

(Video Source: The Verge)

Each piece had a unique design approach. The “Breathe” dress based on lung anatomy and jumpsuit based on the nervous system was created from anatomical style drawings that were hand drawn by the artist and then rendered into a pattern in the CAD modeling environment; the dress inspired by ligaments was derived from Verlan Dress from New Skins with Francis Bitonti Studio workshop at the Digital Arts and Humanities Research Centre of the Pratt Institute in New York that wrapped form around the body in 3D digital environment which Karle custom fit to a 3D body scan and flattened into flat pattern pieces in order to laser cut and construct out of soft material.

"I’ve always been fascinated by the body and anatomy. I studied specimens at the California Academy of Sciences, vintage anatomical drawings, medical scan data, and anatomical models and used that inspiration and form language to inform creating sculptures and wearable art"

The wearable art is made from silk, polyester, cotton, natural and synthetic fibers.

("Breathe" dress by Amy Karle, 2016)

"The “Breathe” dress in this collection has special significance for me. Based on lungs, this piece was inspired by Lisa Iannone, my close friend who is fighting Pulmonary Hypertension, a terminal illness of the lungs. She is a phenomenal person who has continually shown so much light, strength and grace throughout her fight with this painful disease. I wanted to create a piece that celebrated her empowered spirit, beauty, and poise through her physical struggles."

(Designer Amy Karle fitting "Breathe" dress on Lisa Iannone)

In the process of making these pieces, Artist Amy Karle addressed current industrial challenges of: utilizing 3D scanning to create custom fit patterns and garments, unwrapping and flattening complex CAD patterns in the digital environment, advanced pattern making in 3D digital environments into real-world soft goods, and creating zero and low-waste fashion designs.

(Jumpsuit based on nervous system by Amy Karle, 2016)

Amy Karle created the pieces shown here while Affiliate Artist in Residence at Autodesk Pier 9.

learn more at: www.amykarle.com