EXPERAMA:
(Re)activating Experiential Dimensions
Wei-Chi Su & Lianca vd Merwe, 2022
In the first week in September, Wei-Chi Su and Lianca vd Merwe host the opening workshop for the MA Critical Fashion Practices generation 32.
During the workshop, Gen32 found an intuitive approach to explore and express their critical opinions which translated into an organic and beautiful interactive installation.
The focus on a ‘collective sense of belonging’ connects to our discussions on senses, language, materiality and ideology, and shows that they have a keen awareness of the shared cultural dimensions of value in their generation.
EXPERAMA: (Re) Activating Experiential Dimensions workshop
Globalised citizens often have to leave behind their senses and cultures to pursue their contribution to the modern colonial system. These hegemonic narratives have enabled the rejection of other forms of aesthetic practices, sensing and perceiving. As fashion practitioners we feel this manifests strongly in fashion. Therefore, Experama is a multi-stage workshop foregrounding the lived experiences over pedagogic teachings in fashion.
By stimulating and revaluing our unique way of sensing and perceiving, our workshop, draws attention to how our experiences are shaped by broader phenomena, like the dynamic interactions between the brain, body, and our physical, and social environments. Moreover, how everyone positions themselves in the world is personal and incommensurable.
We frame our workshops within the context of fashion because we feel fashion has both the physical and cultural properties to subvert the dominant ideologies. In this workshop participants interact with the material and immaterial dimensions of fashion. Experama cultivates a deeper understanding of the inter- and intra-connectedness between living and non-living things, space, and time. Through collective and self-reflective moments, participants will come to realize and respect the differences from each other.