Augmented Reality → Appearance and (dis) embodiment
Augmented Reality is not a new phenomenon, but as a tool for fashion consumption it’s young enough that Anthropology, in 2021, had yet to explore the phenomenon. The aim of this thesis was to set the first stone in exploring this changing materiality of ‘getting dressed’ through an exploration of Augmented Reality clothing (ARC). The findings suggest that the current established theories within the Anthropology of Fashion are no longer productive, and that we’re due a reconsideration of not just the analytical categories we employ, but actually of the dynamics that emerge with and from our appearance altogether.
In its brief 60 pages, the study traces the 3D ‘asset’ through conception, dissemination, and different use cases, revealing along the way its entanglements in history, politics, and the intimacies of bodies and selfhood.
This work was supervised by Dr Ludovic Coupaye, founder and director of the Centre for the Anthropology of Technics and Technodiversity, editorial board member of Techniques & Culture, and Journal of Material Culture. None of the work would have been possible without the generosity of my participants, who have all been pseudonimised.