White Snake Serpent
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e4uRwjitmIH6DLD2Gruab8n8N76aWRJh/view?usp=drive_link
White Serpent Breath is an interactive fashion piece inspired by the Chinese legend The Legend of the White Snake. I thought about the way to tell this Chinese story/myth in a more creative way. So this project reinterprets the myth through a modernized qipao that merges mechanical motion and breath, exploring how the female body negotiates between concealment and expression.
Along the side slit of the qipao, the kinetic structure composed of mechanical, scale-like plates rises and falls in a rippling motion reminiscent of a serpent’s body. Beneath these scales, layers of pleated paper are revealed, inspired by West Lake’s oil-paper umbrellas. This layered unfolding references both the cultural setting of the legend and the act of transformation, which is something delicate and intimate emerging from within a protective surface. Breathing LED light embedded adds a subtle internal pulse, suggesting life and emotional presence. In addition, the color changes of the scales in the dark environment add a touch of mythology to the work.
Through interaction, White Serpent Breath imagines the garment as a sensitive organism, reflecting how the character of White Snake and the women today navigate visibility, self-protection, and emotional tension within social expectations.
While developing your prototype, what things you learned? What things went wrong? What things you would improve?
3D printed scales
While developing my prototype, one of the most significant things I learned was working with 3D modeling and 3D printing. I learned using Rhino and Grasshopper, starting from basic forms and gradually developing scale-like modules that can cover certain surfaces and create patterns. I experimented a lot of times with different filaments and printing techniques, for printing onto fabric especially. The process gave me a new understanding of textiles and the way we can use digital fabrication to make interesting designs.
Servo motors and LED stripes
Another major learning area is about servo motors and LED strips. Early in the process, I encountered issues where the motors and LEDs interfered with each other, causing unstable behavior for their kinetic design after a short period of time every time I plug the power on. This forced me to redo my circuit and codes so that the two mechanisms can work well together. But eventually, professor Marcela and I decided to switch to a servo driver, which significantly improved reliability and smoothness. This taught me how technical decisions directly affect the expressive quality of this interactive project.
Interactive design on clothes
Designing interaction for clothing also presented unique challenges. Unlike installations, wearable projects require attention to comfort and concealment. I learned how to hide the Arduino, wiring, and batteries within the qipao while maintaining wearability and flexibility. This pushed me to think of electronics not as external add-ons, but as elements that must be fully integrated into the body’s movement and experience. On a more detailed level, I gained practical skills in sewing, finishing, and decorative detailing, which proved essential in unifying the mechanical components with the visual language.