Call for Design Exhibition

ISWC 2012, the sixteenth annual International Symposium on Wearable Computers, is the premier forum for wearable computing and issues related to on-body and worn mobile technologies. ISWC 2012 will bring together researchers, product vendors, fashion designers, textile manufacturers, users, and related professionals to share information and advances in wearable computing.

ISWC 2012 June18-22 will be held in Newcastle, UK collocated with Pervasive 2012. ISWC 2012 is sponsored by Newcastle University.

Juried Exhibition

ISWC 2012's Juried Design Exhibition invites submissions of original works of wearable technology and/or novel applications for new audiences using existing technologies.

Submissions may comprise any type of wearable technology (electronic, mechanical, textile and garment-based, etc), Designers are encouraged to submit works that are both practical and usable in terms of the technology and the user interface as well as being of aesthetic merit.

Submission Guidelines

Designers are asked to submit an illustrated design statement, detailing the work's concept, motivation, intended audience and end-use, technological functionality, and execution. Detailed images must illustrate the text.

Submissions will be evaluated by the jury panel for their following design elements: concept, use of technology, execution, and communication, with particular respect to the usability of the technology interface for the specified audience.

Accepted works will be exhibited within the The Great North Museum in Newcastle and accepted exhibitors must supply an A0-size poster to accompany the exhibition.

There will be no fee to participate in the design exhibition if a contestant is attending or exhibiting in the exhibition. However, contestants must pay a registration fee if they plan to attend the conference as a whole.

During the conference, the jury will select 4 prizewinners:

• Most innovative design concept
• Best Execution
• Most inclusive and usable design
• Best in show

Submission Deadline: March 31, 2012 at 23:59 PDT

Format

Please submit your document as one compiled PDF file. Please begin your entry submission with a centered title in bold and 12 point font (Arial or Times Roman) followed by a single column document in 10 point font (Arial or Times Roman). The document should begin with an abstract of the work not exceeding 400 words and in italicized 10 point font (Arial or Times Roman). The body of the submission should not exceed 2 pages of written text. Please include a references cited section at the end of the submission. List and number all bibliographical references in 9-point Times, single-spaced, at the end of your paper. When referenced in the text, enclose the citation number in square brackets, for example [2-4], [2, 5], and [1]. You must include detailed images with captions and figure numbers within your written text or as an appendix. All printed material, including text, illustrations, and charts, must be kept within a print area of 6-7/8 inches (17.5 cm) wide by 8-7/8 inches (22.54 cm) high. Do not write or print anything outside the print area. Your submitted PDF should not exceed 8 pages or 5MB. Please do not include any names or institution affiliations within you submitted PDF.

Please title your PDF file as the title of your submission. Email your submission to iswc12.designexhibition@iswc.net. In the subject line of your email entry please start with: ENTRY - Your Project Title. In the body of the email please include your contact information, a list of the authors of the submission in the order they will appear in the exhibition, and the PDF submission.

Evaluation Criteria

• Concept: How novel is the concept or application? Has it been done before? Is the approach novel? The work should exhibit depth of understanding and insight.
• Technology: How innovative is the use of technology: have advances been made in the use of standard tools for a new purpose? Have new technologies been developed? What does the technology bring to the wearer or the viewer in the wearable environment?
• Execution: How professional and polished is the finished product? Have appropriate or novel construction techniques been implemented? How have standard hardware components been adapted for the wearable environment?
• Communication: How well have the concept, novelty, and use of technology been communicated? Is the idea and process evident in written and visual materials?

Jury Judging Process

Phase 1: Exhibited works

• Applicants submit digital copies of illustrated design statements.
• Applications are reviewed by jury panel. Applications will be reviewed during April 2012, with notification of acceptance by the 1st May.
• Jury members evaluate each submission and score it in each articulated evaluation category.
• Accepted works decided by jury discussion, with tabulated scores as reference tool.
• Accepted designers / artists must transport work to conference, with A0-size poster for exhibition. Poster to contain similar information as design statement.

Phase 2: Assignment of Awards

• At conference, jury evaluates exhibited works--physical artifacts and explanatory posters.

Jury evaluates each work using evaluation worksheet, each juror selects 1st, 2nd, 3rd choices for four awards

• Most innovative design concept
• Best Execution
• Most inclusive and usable design
• Best in show

Jury votes tabulated, jurors discuss and decide final four awards.

ISWC Design Exhibition 2012 Jurors

Lucy Dunne

Lucy Dunne currently directs the University of Minnesota's Wearable Technology Lab, and the Apparel Design program. Her background and degrees span Apparel Design, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science, and her research interests are focused on effective and wearable integration of technology into apparel for the everyday world.

Janine Munslow

Head of Fashion and Chair of Fashion Academic Community at Northumbria School of Design; comprising Fashion BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing BA (Hons) and Fashion Communication BA (Hons). As an active researcher my interests relate to sports/performance wear and product developments concerning health safety and wellbeing, although I continue to teach contemporary fashion subjects and have published a number of books on fashion illustration, design and forecasting.

Sabine Seymour

Dr. Sabine Seymour is the Chief Creative Officer of the Moondial lab which is the nexus between silicon and style. Moondial creates inventive fashionable wearables and consults on the integration of fashion, science, and technology. She is Assistant Professor of Fashionable Technology and the director of Fashionable Technology Lab at Parsons The New School for Design in New York and authored the books 'Fashionable Technology' and 'Functional Aesthetics'.